Effect of a Titanfall
by MidnightFenrir
Summary: When you die, you expect things to happen, from the void to eternal happiness. But if given the choice to live again, wouldn't you take it? I did. Since then, it's been one crazy thing after the other, the latest of which was to end up in yet another universe. But what can you expect when the manifestations of Luck and Fate themselves tell you it's going to be an adventure? OC/SI.
1. Chapter 1

**So. Here I am with another story idea and I'm striking at Mass Effect this time around. Don't know what's gonna come of it exactly but... meh, you never know where your imagination might lead you.**

 **I won't lie, I took inspiration from the story Crysis Effect in order to begin this one. Knowledge about Titanfall 2 is needed to understand a few things here, but it is not a necessity.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own either Titanfall or Mass Effect.**

It was quite an ordinary day in Paris when it happened. A day like any other: dull, without anything peculiar happening. A day of routine, as we say. Like so many others before, and many more to follow. I was, like many people, wandering the streets, waiting for something to catch my eye, looking for everything and nothing at the same time.

My goals had been very simple: find something that looked even remotely interesting, buy said thing and go back home to my games. I had only been a few hours in Mass Effect Andromeda and had been itching to dive back into it.

It was then, that disaster struck. A cry of fear and horror followed by the sound of a car's horn blaring. My head turned to see a little girl standing petrified on the road and an incoming SUV going way too fast. Without thinking, my body moved. It seemed like time slowed down while I was dashing toward the child. Used to do so with my little brother of roughly the same age as she was, I swept her in my arms, my back to the car to shield her. I think that, in the heat of the moment, I knew there was no way for me to evade the vehicle. The only thing I could do was brace for impact and hope for the best.

Strangely enough, it didn't hurt. But the world spinning around me left no doubt as to the fact that I had been hit. Perhaps my brain had started to shut down at that point, for I didn't feel the following impacts of my body on the ground either. I tried to move, but my muscles wouldn't obey. There was an incessant buzzing in my ears and I only distantly heard cries of fear and urgency. However, among all this, there was something that I heard clearly.

"...Monsieur?"

My eyes looked down at the young girl visibly trembling in my arms, her own eyes leaking tears of fright. She seemed alright, apart from the traumatic experience she had just lived through. I opened my mouth to ask her for sure, but nothing came out. So, I settled for the best smile I could give. A moment later, another pair of hands descended on her and took her away but I still heard her asking something to the person -whom I assumed to be her mother- in a curious tone. Then, someone else knelt beside me but my vision had become blurred, so I wasn't able to discern anything apart from their mouth moving.

My life didn't flash before my eyes, contrarily to what many books and movies say, but my thoughts went out to the people important to me.

My mother, who, despite her strict character, never stopped helping and believing in me.

My father, who always tried to push me forward and give me advice that I didn't care enough about.

My grandparents, who always supported me when things got rough.

My brother, with whom I hadn't created a true relation with yet.

My cousins and the two girls I considered my sisters, whom I had known since I was a kid.

My best friends, scattered across the world but with whom I always had fun with once in a while.

'At least,' I thought, somewhat ironically. 'I die as what I always aspired to be: a protector.'

And everything went dark.

…

…

…

"Huh, so the afterlife does exist, after all." I mused, looking at the white emptiness around me. I could also see transparent human shapes, like ghosts or echoes, moving around aimlessly. "What do I do now?" I asked myself with a thoughtful hum as I crossed my arms. "It's not like there is anyone I really know here. Is there even something I'm supposed to do?"

"That depends on you, young one."

I turned around, expecting everything from an angel to Morgan Freeman and-

Well, it looked like my first guess wasn't so far off. I mean, what do you call an incredibly beautiful woman clad in white clothes descending from above if not and Angel? Incredibly long auburn hair, a figure I'm pretty sure women would kill for, mesmerizing deep blue eyes and -wait a minute...

"Are those… scales?" I asked, looking at the gargantuan instrument strapped to the woman's back.

She gave me an amused smile. "Why, yes it is. It wouldn't do for me not to have one, after all. But perhaps a casino roulette would have been better? Still, I thought it was appropriate for a Libra. One of my followers, at that."

I frowned in confusion at her words before the epiphany hit me and my eyes widened. "Lady Luck?" I breathed out.

"Indeed." came the answer. "It's not often that I'm able to take care of someone. Few people truly believe in luck above another deity or aspect." she smiled.

I scratched the back of my head. "Um, thanks? I think? Sorry, but this kind of overwhelming for me." I replied.

"It's only natural." she chuckled. "Even those who truly worship divinities have a hard time believing they are truly meeting them once they come here. Take your time."

I nodded, took a deep breath and promptly proceeded to punch myself in the face.

"Aouch! That hurts." I hissed before turning back to the divine being, who had an eyebrow cocked at me with her amused smile still in place. "Alright. I'm good. So... what now?"

"As I said, it depends on you." she said. "You have multiple choices here. You can move on and be reincarnated, you can stay here waiting for your important people and get and 'happily ever after', so to speak, or..." she trailed off.

"Yeeeees?"

"Or you could go to a different world altogether."

"..."

"..."

"I'm sorry, what?" I blurted out once my brain rebooted.

"Another world." Luck repeated. "Live a different life, perhaps one of adventure and heroics, who knows? Doesn't that sound exciting to you?" she said with a grin.

I blinked owlishly at her. "What are you talking about, exactly? I mean, I like adventures just as much as the next person, but I'm not exactly adventurer material." I replied, thinking about my not-fat-but-not-fit body and more-than-a-little-lazy mentality.

"Oh, don't worry. That can be easily remedied." she said, her grin widening and I felt a chill running down my spine. "So? What do you want to do?"

"...Does the fact that I'm considering saying yes marks me as an insane person?" I mused aloud.

"No. It just means that you died and an offer to live again sounds quite appealing to you. Wanting to live again is a perfectly reasonable wish." another voice answered.

I turned around to see a little girl approaching. She had short blond hair and hazel eyes that seemed to analyze everything they saw and the flat expression on her face was something I didn't expect to see outside of an anime.

"Though I would suggest asking for more information first. We wouldn't want to leave it all to luck, would we?"

"Very funny, Fate. You only make that joke about every time you see me." Luck drawled. "Now, care to explain why you're here, sister?"

The now-announced Fate shrugged. "Just to make things official and ensure that you follow the appropriate procedure. If you do send him, I have to make sure everything is in order, is all." she replied. "I'd rather not have a repeat of the 639 526th time you did that without supervision."

Luck winced at that. "Yes, not my brightest moment, I admit it. But it seemed like such a good idea at the time! Can you really blame me?"

"Yes." came the deadpanned answer. "Especially with how it turned Destiny and Alter into emotional wrecks. And I STILL have paperwork to go through for that one time."

"Um, sorry?" Luck meekly said.

Fate stared at her sister for a moment longer, making the other divine aspect fidget, before turning to me. "Ultimately, it's your choice. But I warn you, this won't be an easy road. Some have it better than others, but it never is easy. Although," there, she glanced at Luck. "perhaps you'll have more... luck, than your predecessors."

The auburn haired deity nodded rapidly. "Only the best for one of my most ardent believers."

Fate gave a slow nod back before looking at me once more. "So, what do you choose?"

I blinked. "Um, can I ask a few questions first?"

"Sure." Luck chirped. "Ask away."

"Okay..." I trailed off, my hand going to my chin. "First, what does reincarnation entails?"

"Basically, you get a new life, either as a human or something else entirely. You'll have no memories of your previous life until you come here again. And don't worry, we make sure that you don't end up as a lamb that is to be killed for meat at one year old." Fate answered.

I sweat-dropped. "That's... reassuring, I guess." I replied uncertainly. "Did I reincarnate before?"

"Nope." Luck said, popping the last syllable. "This is your first life ever. And first death, coincidentally."

I nodded. "Alright, so what about this 'other life'? You said you'd made sure I would be ready. How?"

"You'll be send to a place where you'll be given the essential tools for your and everyone else's survival." The loli deity answered again. "That includes getting you into shape, both of body and mind, and training in various fields necessary to your survival in a hostile environment."

"Would I retain my memories? If I chose this?"

"Yes."

"And live an adventure! Don't forget that one!"

I hummed in thought for a moment before shrugging. I had nothing to do until either my family or my friends joined me -which hopefully wouldn't happen for quite a long time- so I might as well do something productive.

"Alright, I'm in." I gave my answer. "How do we do this and where am I going?"

"Splendid!" Luck joyfully exclaimed as she clapped her hands. "Don't worry about anything, just leave it to us! Oh, and try not to die!"

My mind screeched to a halt. "Eh?"

"A word of advice." Fate added flatly. "This will hurt. A lot."

"Wait, hold on a sec-"

Luck snapped her fingers, and everything turned dark once more.

As my consciousness returned and my vision slowly focused, the first thing my mind registered was the burning pain coursing through my body as I laid flat on the ground. Next was the sounds of gunfire and explosions somewhere nearby, along with the smell of something burning. Slowly, I lifted my head, the action making me grit my teeth in pain, and was greeted by a half clear vision of a barren land and charred trees.

'Where am I?' I wondered briefly before my attention was quickly drawn to the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

"There! Another one!" A female voice said

"Shit! He's in bad shape!" a second voice, a male one this time, added. "Hang in there, soldier!"

'Soldier?' I blinked suddenly as I heard a voice say 'Whoopsie!' in my mind followed by a tired sigh before I was assaulted by images and memories that I had never seen before, making me groan at the overload of information.

I vaguely felt two pairs of hands turning me on my back and grabbing hold of my arms and legs before lifting me away. What I clearly felt, however, was the spikes of pain the movement did to me and I couldn't help but whimper at it steadily increased and I saw nothing but a white wall of pain. Next thing I knew, I was laid gently on a flat surface under a bright light with three forms hovering over me.

"His vitals are dropping. If we don't stabilize him soon, he'll be gone." the same female voice said.

"Damn, look at all this!" A new voice said. "Guy's been mauled by a Titan or something?"

"It's a miracle he's survived this far, and in one piece no less." The first male voice replied. "That's one lucky son of gun we have here."

"Yes, well he won't be lucky for long if we just stand there gawking! Get moving!" The woman barked and I heard shuffling noises around me as my vision started to darken. "We've lost enough men today, lad. We're not losing you too if I have anything to say about it."

With that, I lost consciousness again.

X

I slowly awoke, feeling better than I had last time. A white ceiling greeted me and my sluggish brain concluded that I was in some kind of medical facility.

"And sleeping beauty awakes." Someone said before a man stepped inside my vision, dressed in what I assumed to be a medical suit. "You gave us quite a scare, sonny. Welcome back to the land of livings, soldier."

At that, my mind flashed to the two sets of memories I now possessed. One where my life of a twenty seven years old student had ended back on Earth in 2017 in an heroic act to save a young girl, the other that of a young man that lived alone on a peaceful planet of the Frontier called Epona until the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation, or IMC, decided to harvest the planet's resources. The government had quickly sent a distress call to the Frontier Militia and fighting had quickly ensued between the two factions. The Militia had emerged victorious, but roughly half of Epona's surface had been reduced to scorched land. And so, this young man had joined the Militia as a Rifleman, swearing that he wouldn't stand idly by and watch as other people's homes suffered the same fate as his.

"Ugh..." I groaned as I tried to make sense of all the information and memories Luck had planted inside my mind. "Anyone got the number of the truck that hit me?" I muttered groggily.

The man chuckled. "Sorry, there wasn't anything left of the Titan after you planted a satchel charge in its battery port. Damn fine work, by the way, for a simple Rifleman."

More memories flowed at his words. A mission. Operation Aries. The goal was to prevent the IMC from establishing a stronghold on the planet Orion. The squad had unexpectedly encountered a Titan on its way to a separated outpost. Everybody had died trying to take the thing down and I had only succeeded to plant an charge on one of its battery port before it grabbed me and flung me away. The last thing I did before losing consciousness was jamming my thumb on the detonator.

'Wait...' I thought, connecting the dots. 'IMC, Militia... Titan? Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I'm in fucking Titanfall?! They never said they were sending me into one of the multiverses?!' I ranted internally.

"Anyway," my attention was drawn back to the man. "It was touch and go for a while, but we managed to get you away from the reaper's grasp. Still, you were quite banged up, lad. It's been a month since then, and you're probably going to stay another one in that bed. But you're alive and still in one piece, so I'd say it's a small price to pay."

"You tell me, sir." the words came out without thinking. "Shit, that means it's back to training when I'm out, then?"

He chuckled. "Yes, indeed. But not Rifleman training, lad. The higher ups decided to give you a shot at apprentice pilot after they saw the footage from your helmet cam."

My eyes widened at that. 'An apprentice pilot? Me? When I don't even know how to fire a gun?! Oh wait, I do. Damn paradoxical memories.' Immediately, my thoughts went to the squad, people I knew and didn't know at the same time.

"I just wish the others were here too, sir." Again, the words came out without my input.

"I know, lad, I know. So do your best and seize that opportunity, got it? That's the best way to honor your fallen comrades that I can think of." The man said sympathetically. "Now, get some rest. You need to heal, and I have other patients to tend to.

And as the medic left and I closed my eyes, slowly falling asleep, one thought was at the forefront of my mind.

'What the hell did get myself into?'

I would later swear I heard a feminine giggle right as sleep claimed me.

 **-Three months later-Deep Space-Aboard the Nightingale-**

If there's one thing the two past months have told me, it's that rehab is a bitch, moreover if it's a soldier's rehab. All the physical tests and exercises, mock fights and range training were a pain to go through and I thanked my 'new' body's muscle memory along with the memories of this life countless times because there was no way my original memories would have helped me get through it. Still, I won't lie, it felt good to be in a fit and athletic body.

Speaking about the memories, I assimilated the knowledge of both people that I used to be. I guess you could say I became someone else from who I was, in both universes. It felt weird, for a while, but it wasn't bad. Strangely enough, both of my 'personalities' quite complemented themselves.

I supposed it meant that Lady Fate and Lady Luck had done their job well when they sent me in this universe.

And here I was, after two months of rehabilitation and training, waiting for my superior officer who was to become my Pilot trainer.

"All set, lad?" Doctor Nick McKenzie, the man who had patched me up, asked.

"You bet, doc." I replied as I closed my empty locker and reset its password. "I'm not gonna lie, it feels weird to think that I'm not going to see your ugly face every day anymore." I jested.

The man barked a laugh. "And I'm not going to have to watch your ass every hour of the day to make sure you don't overwork yourself! God save me from overachievers, those are the worst patients I could ever have."

"Meh, I'm sure you love to strap us to our beds, deep down." I shot back. "Who would've known the legends about every medic being an S are true?"

"Please!" Nick rolled his eyes. "If that was the case, then all of you grunts would be an M or a SM."

"I'm not hearing any denial here."

"You brat! Respect your elders!"

"So you finally admit that you're an old geezer?"

"That's-! Well played, lad, well played."

"I aim to please, old man."

"Looks like some people are having fun here." An unfamiliar voice joined the conversation and we both turned toward its source: a man with almost completely grey hair and a goatee who sported a friendly expression on his face as he approached us. My eyes darted the insignia on his shoulder, instantly recognizing it as a captain's. Although I already knew who he was.

"Sir!" I saluted, Nick doing so a split second later.

"At ease." The newcomer smiled. "How's the rehab been going, Rifleman?"

"Pretty well, sir." I answered, dropping my arm. "It feels damn good to be back at one hundred percent, let me tell you. Getting my old accuracy rating back was a pain, though."

He grinned. "Isn't it always? And I can say it doesn't get any better with age. Worse thing is that, no matter how hard you try, that rating continues to go down. Maddening, I tell you."

The three of us shared a laugh before sobering up. "I guess it's time?" I rhetorically asked.

The captain nodded. "I have your transfer orders right here." he held a small data chip up. "You will be part of the 41st Rifle Battalion aboard the James MacAllan while under my direct orders as my apprentice until I deem you fit to be a pilot." he said, before putting the chip away. "I'll let you say your goodbyes. Meet me in the cargo hold in fifteen."

"Yes sir."

With a nod, the man walked away, leaving me alone with Nick once more.

"So, that's it. You're going to become a pilot." the doctor said.

I shrugged. "We'll see. But I do hope I'll be worthy of the honor." I turned to him and held my hand out to him. "I'll be sure to keep you updated."

"You'd better." he replied, before shaking my arm in a warrior's handshake. "Now go take names and kick some ass. And make sure I don't see you back in my med bay until you're at least as old as I am, got it?"

I grinned. "I'll do my best, but no promises. It's too fun to rile you up."

"Brat!"

A few more farewells later, I walked into the cargo hold of the ship, my bag on my shoulders, finding my new captain waiting on a crate beside a transporter.

"All good?" he asked as he got up from his seat.

I nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be, sir."

He nodded back. "Well then," he held out his hand to me. "Welcome to the 41st, Rifleman Ethan Wolfe.

I shook his hand strongly. "Thank you for the opportunity," my eyes glanced at the tag on his chest, although I already knew his name. "Captain Tai Lastimosa."

 **-Six Months Later-Planet Typhon-Crash Site of the MCS James MacAllan-**

"Lastimosa!" I cried out in concern as the pilot collapsed from his Titan's cockpit onto the ground. "Captain! Hang in there, I'll patch you up!" I started to go for my first aid kit.

The man gave a wet cough as he waved his hand before bringing it to his helmet and pushed the button that opened the visor. "Don't bother, Wolfe... There's... nothing you can do for me..." he weakly said. Although I wanted to protest, I knew that I couldn't do anything to save him. "BT... Transfer authorization to new Pilot... Link... Brav-" His entire body was wrecked by a bloody cough but he forged on. "...Bravo-Tango, Seven-Two-Seven-Four." Then, his eyes found mine and, in a supreme effort, he sat up and grabbed me by the shoulder. "Wolfe...! Take my Titan...! Use my helmet... and my jump kit. This is... the real thing..."

I gave Lastimosa a resolute nod, my hand coming to grip the one on my shoulder tightly.

My captain smiled weakly, his eyes glancing at the titan above us. "Take care... of him..." His final words delivered, his eyes rolled back and his body went limp. Tai Lastimosa, Captain of the Marauder Corps and my mentor, was dead.

And for the first time since my arrival in the Titanfall universe, I shed tears.

X

With a grunt, I pushed the final battery into the port and turned the handle.

" _ **Power at full capacity."**_ BT stated, his optic monitor flashing, before rising up to his full height. The Titan then looked down at me. _**"Pilot, we must establish a neural link in order to proceed."**_ That said, he put his weapon away and crouched down. _**"Please embark when ready."**_

With a nod, I stepped forward, watching as BT's cockpit opened. I jumped, grabbing the two holds and took a moment to look at the belly of the beast.

'This is it.' I took a deep breath. "Alright." I muttered and climbed up into the seat.

A split second later, BT rose up from his position and the hatch closed.

" _ **Protocol One: Link To Pilot. Establishing neural link."**_ with those words, the interior glowed green before a brilliant flash overwhelmed my vision. _**"Neural Link Established... Rifleman Ethan Wolfe- you are now confirmed as Acting Pilot of BT-7274.**_

 _ **Protocol Two: Uphold The Mission. Our orders are to resume Special Operation 217: Rendezvous with Major Anderson of the SRS."**_

There was a rumble and I heard gunshots from outside and the sound of the bullets bouncing harmlessly off the Titan's hull.

" _ **Protocol Three: Protect The Pilot."**_ The hull lit up, and the HUD of the outside appeared. _**"Re-initializing critical systems... Neural link complete. Primary Weapon Control and Motion Link reestablished."**_

Experimentally, I made us take a couple of steps forward. It felt weird, but not that much different from the simulator. And I had no doubt that I would get used to it very quickly. I had no other choice if I wanted to survive.

" _ **Pilot, enemy Titanfall detected."**_ My mind snapped into focus and I gazed forward as, just half a hundred meters in front of me, a Titan landed with a tremendous impact. _**"We will have to fight our way to safety. Get ready."**_

"Great. Just got to kill a few bad guys." I snorted, knowing how much of an understatement that was, before taking a deep breath and releasing it. "Let's do this, BT."

" _ **Copy that, Pilot. A positive attitude can only improve our situation."**_

Readying the XO-16 chaingun, we charged forward to meet the enemy Northstar.

And to think this was only the beginning.

X

 **-IMC-held Installation-Fold Weapon Preparation Room-**

I grunted as I pushed the neural link to its limit to make BT climb to his feet. "Come on...!" I bit out.

" _Wolfe! BT!"_ I heard Briggs shout across the radio. _"Our ground teams can't make it there in time! You've got to find a way to destroy the Fold Weapon from the inside! There's no other way!"_

"We're... On it!" I groaned as I continued to push BT to move forward.

" _ **Commander Briggs, I believe I have a solution."**_ the Titan spoke up. _**"In its exposed state, my reactor core may be able to destabilize the Ark at the center of the Fold Weapon."**_

" _What are you saying?"_ Sarah asked and I only managed to hold in a snort. She wasn't one of the technical mumbo jumbo. Then again, neither was I.

" _ **We can blow it up."**_ BT elaborated. _**"I'm sending you coordinates for a dropship rendezvous."**_

" _Coordinates received. We'll be there, but I don't see how you can."_ she replied.

" _ **Trust me. I have done the math."**_

I couldn't hold back a laugh at that. Despite the situation we were in, I still found that line too damn funny. "Hear that, Commander? Don't worry, we've got this."

" _I sure as hell hope so. We're on our way. Good luck- both of you. Briggs out."_

"Alright, big guy. Let's finish this!" I called out as I made BT take another step, then another.

A couple of more steps and I felt the mass of Titan start dangling on the edge, the Ark Core right down below us. My eyes glanced at the HUD where the words 'PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT – ERROR' were displayed. I breathed out and smiled.

"Don't worry, BT. I'm not going anywhere."

" _ **Copy that, Pilot."**_

With one final effort, BT toppled down the edge toward the Ark Core.

" _ **Protocol Three: Protect the Pilot."**_

Suddenly, the hatch opened and BT's hand snatched me from the cockpit.

"BT! What are you doing?!"

" _ **Trust me."**_

The Titan cocked back his arm to throw me, like he had done many times before, but suddenly froze up.

" _ **The Ark Energy is interfering with my systems. I-I can't move."**_ there was a pause and I knew my robot friend was calculating what other options we had at a speed I couldn't even fathom. _**"I'm sorry, Ethan."**_

I blinked. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

"Heh." I huffed, before closing my eyes and smiled. "It's fine. We had a good run, partner. I'm just a bit sad it's ending so soon."

" _ **...Thank you."**_ was the response from BT.

And then, everything disappeared in a brilliant flash of light.

 **-Unknown Location-**

My vision slowly cleared as I came back to consciousness with a groan. "Shit... everything hurts..." I blinked at my own words, my mind clearing. "Wait a minute. You can't feel pain if you're dead. So, that means..."

" _ **Ethan."**_

I startled and turned back to find BT laying on the ground behind me. The Vanguard Titan's chassis was still whole, but in bad shape, a result of our fight with Slone and the Ark injector's backblast. My eyes zeroed on the optic monitor that was fixed on me.

"BT!" I shouted, trying to stand up, only to let out a choked grunt as pain flared in my muscles and I fell back on the ground. "That... was NOT a good idea..." I muttered under my breath.

" _ **Agreed. Are you alright?"**_

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"

" _ **The Ark Energy is still interfering with my primary systems. Auxiliary power is low but I should be able to move for three hour, twenty four minutes and nineteen seconds once interference ceases."**_ came the answer.

"Good. That's... good." I let myself relax, taking off my helmet before slowly turning on my back to look around us, taking in the sight of dry flora, a far cry from Typhon's luxurious one. "This doesn't look like Typhon. Any idea where we are?"

" _ **Calculating. Error- Location doesn't match any planet in my database. Calculating. Error- the star chart doesn't match that of the Frontier."**_ BT paused. _**"I'm afraid I do not know where we are, Ethan."**_

"Great. Just great." I said dryly as I started crawling my way to him. "Let's just hope we won't get into too much trouble for the next twenty-four hours."

That was the moment a piercing screech broke the peace that seemed to have settled.

"Me and my goddamn mouth..." I grumbled, putting my helmet back on and drawing out the MK5 Smart Pistol. "One should never tempt fate."

'Damn right you shouldn't.' A feminine flat voice said in my mind and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Scanning the surroundings for any threat, I wondered where exactly the Ark's explosion might have sent us. Somehow, the sight seemed familiar but I couldn't place it. Another screech echoed the previous one and I shook my head. 'Focus, you can worry about that later.'

" _ **Incoming hostile."**_

Quickly glancing at the radar on my HUD, I whirled my weapon arm to the right and froze at the sight of a gargantuan flying insect coming straight at us. The thing looked like some kind of giant blue beetle with an equally giant pair of mandibles that I didn't doubt for a second could make minced meat out of me.

"What the hell?!" I swore as I quickly aimed the sights at the horror's head and fired. The thing screeched in pain as my shot tore a hole in its carapace and I pressed the trigger again and again. Four bullets later, it collapsed on the ground, unmoving. "Fuck, give me Prowlers or Flyers any day rather than this. That thing's the stuff of nightmares."

" _ **More hostiles incoming."**_ BT said and I noted three more dots appearing on my radar. Turning, I sighted the beetles and waited a second for the pistol to lock on them before firing. The MK5 bucked nine times in my hand and the insects fell to the ground, dead.

I breathed out, my eyes darting around for any signs of more of the things. Seeing none, I relaxed slightly and checked the ammo count. Four shots left, and I still had a couple of magazines on me.

"BT, how long until you can move?"

" _ **Three minutes and forty-one seconds."**_ Was the instantaneous answer.

"Got it." I slowly got up, grimacing in pain and pushed a button on the side of my helmet. The message 'Systems Check in Progress' appeared on the HUD and my eyes fixed the lines appearing under it.

Jump Kit Online.

Grapple Online.

Pulse Blade Radar Offline. Rebooting.

Holo Pilot Offline. Rebooting.

Tactical Cloak Online.

Phase Shift Offline. Rebooting.

One Amped Wall emitter available.

'Okay, so I have half of my Tactical Abilities available at the moment. Should be enough for the time being.' Additional information told me that I had still half a dozen of Pulse Blades, two frag grenades and one Stim on me.

"...Do you think we completed our mission?" I ask, leaning against his frame.

" _ **Analysis says the Ark detonated once my reactor core made contact with it. We upheld the mission, Ethan."**_

I sighed in relief. At least, everything I had done wasn't for nothing. Hopefully, the Militia would succeed in their war against the IMC once and for all. I had come close to death more times than I could count and I knew that it was only thanks my training and a VERY healthy dose of luck that I had survived.

'And don't you forget it.'

I rolled my eyes inside my helmet at the deity's voice. It seemed that Luck and Fate liked to keep an eye on me and didn't miss a single occasion to have fun at my expense if I were to even think of the terms associated to them.

" _ **Systems reinitialized."**_ With those, words, BT started to stand up and I quickly climbed up his right shoulder. _**"Weapons offline. Calculating. Offensive capabilities reduced to Close Quarters Combat and use of the 40mm Tracker Cannon. Defensive capabilities reduced to chassis shields, Sword Block and Vortex Shield."**_

I nodded. It was better than I expected. The Predator Cannon had been destroyed during the fight with Slone so I had grabbed the first weapon I could find from one of the fallen Titans along with a Ronin Blade. Hopefully, it would be enough until we could resupply.

" _ **I am detecting spikes of energy an hour south-west of our actual position. Readings suggest human presence. We should head there."**_ BT said

"Let's just hope they won't be shooting at us." I commented, grabbing hold of the handle on my left as he started moving.

" _ **Agreed. We are not in condition for extended periods of battle."**_ he replied.

"Ain't that the truth. Alright, partner, let's find out where we are."

Little did I know that I was in for a big surprise once we'd get there.

 **And that's a wrap for the first chapter/prologue. Let me know what you think of it.**

 **I'm saying this now, there isn't going to be more elements from Titanfall apart from BT and a few weapons. Everything else from here on out is PURE MASS EFFECT.**

 **Now, I'm off to work on my other chapters for my other fics. See you guys around!**

 **As always, I accept every kind of review aside from baseless flaming.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, signing out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, second chapter here we go!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **And yes, I don't have anything else to say. Sue me.**

 **Oh, and Merry Christmas.**

"Those guys just don't know when to give up, do they?" I commented as BT punched another of the beetle monstrosities into a pulp while I used my grapple to grab another and stab its vulnerable underbelly with my Data Knife.

" _ **Agreed. Their species must be part of the apex predators of this planet's ecosystem and not used to face a superior opponent."**_ BT replied.

"That, or they just think they can win because they outnumber us."

In the thirty minutes since we had set off, that was the fourth time we had encountered a group of those giant insects. From what we had seen, they seemed to live underground or in hives made of stone. BT's analysis had revealed that they were able to secrete an acid strong enough to melt stone from their jaws, which honestly just made them more horrifying in my eyes. Fortunately, they weren't able to spit said acid.

Thank God for small mercies.

Another punch from the Titan and the last of the insects was reduced to paste on the ground. Cleaning my knife, I quickly climbed back on his shoulder.

" _ **Ethan, our destination should come in view just after we cross this hill."**_ BT informed me as he started moving again.

It didn't take long for BT and I to find what we were looking for once atop of said hill. In the distance, probably less than half an hour of walking from our position, was a city of moderate size that didn't appear to have anything out of place. Looking around, I deduced that whatever this place was, it probably was the only one on the planet because I didn't see any roads, towns or other cities as far as my eyes could see, aside from a few settlements not too far away from it.

"You get anything, BT?" I asked my partner.

" _ **Analyzing. Human presence confirmed. I'm detecting minor military installations but none of them match any organization in my database. Readings also indicate traces of an unknown element present in a few select places inside the city."**_ The Titan answered.

I frowned slightly. 'Unknown element'? That seemed awfully familiar... "Anything else?"

" _ **I'm not detecting any Titan. Also, those people seem to be using a mean of communication that isn't recorded in my database."**_ he added

"I've a feeling we truly aren't in Kansas anymore..." I dryly said.

" _ **'Kansas'? I am not familiar with the term."**_

"Just an old quote from something I've read, BT." I replied. "Come on." I urged him. "We don't have all day. I'm tired, hungry and in need of a shower. Perhaps all three can be remedied tonight, with a bit of luck."

Suddenly, BT stopped and turned his optic monitor upwards. _**"I am detecting multiple signals of the unknown element coming from orbit. Considering their speed and trajectories, the signals appear to belong to some kinds of ships."**_

I raised my head to look at the sky. Indeed, there were several shining dots that were descending into the atmosphere toward the city.

"Wha-"

I was cut off as an alarm started to blare from the city. I resisted the urge to hit myself for jinxing us once more as I put my helmet back on.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire..." I muttered. "BT, can you hack their communications? See if you can get anything useful?"

" _ **Affirmative."**_ There was a pause before the Titan continued. _**"The city officials are warning all citizens to flee from their homes and get to safety. The city is about to be raided by something called 'batarians'."**_

I froze at that word. 'Batarians'. Batarians as in the alien species with four eyes, cocky as hell, ugly as fuck and, most important of all, that claims slavery as part of their 'cultural heritage'. The 'unknown element' BT had spoken off was probably the Element Zero and the unfamiliar method of communication Omni-tools.

We were in the freaking Mass Effect universe.

Internally, I swore. What year was it? Which planet were we on? And why, for all that is holly, did Fate and Luck decide to send us here?!

I shook my head, snapping into focus as my soldier's mind took over. The city was about to be assaulted, and I'd be damned I did nothing to prevent it!

"BT, get us there, quickly! We must protect those people!"

" _ **Copy that, Pilot."**_ BT replied before his hatch opened and his hand picked me up before putting me in the cockpit. _**"Protocol Two: Uphold the Mission. Our mission is to prevent the civilians from being harmed and neutralize any hostile forces."**_

"You got that right, big guy!" I said as I quickly made a system check of the HUD and Neural Link. Everything seemed to work, fortunately. With that, I made the Titan bring up the 40mm Tracking Cannon in his hands and started to run.

Things were about to get hectic.

I just hoped that there wasn't any Alliance vessel anywhere near this planet. Because if there was... well, BT and I were pretty much done for.

Fezis Gof'ragan, leader of the batarian Space Pirates, grinned at the prospects of today's prizes. The human colony was very isolated from any human military installation, being in the Terminus Systems, and although it had only one city to its name, it only meant that all the loot would be in one place. He and his men had monitored that colony for a long time, waiting until it was ripe for the taking and out from the human military's watchful eye.

And now, after a six months long wait, he had received the all clear from the Hegemony to pillage it.

He could already hear them, the cries of his to-be slaves as he implanted the control chip in them, as he would force the women to pleasure him in front of their husbands and children, as he'd make them fight each other to the death for his own entertainment. Just thinking about it made him tremble with excitement.

But first came a just as exciting part: the hunt.

He turned to his men, pleased to see them just as excited as he was. "Alright, boys! Remember, we want them alive! Cripple and maim if needed, but try to avoid damaging the goods too much, eh?"

They all cheered, clearly eager. Fezis was about to give a speech about their ancestors when the ship's pilot interrupted him.

"Fezis, sir! You have to see this!" the man sounded quite nervous.

Fezis grumbled, having lost his speech moment, before joining the pilot. "What is it?" he barked.

"I got something on the radar, sir! It's moving! A-and it's big!"

"Spit it out! What is it?!" He raised his voice.

"S-scans say it's a mech! B-but there's no way it can be that big!"

Fezis blinked. A mech? Maybe some kind of prototype the humans were developing on this colony in secret? If that was the case, then he had really hit the jackpot. The Hegemony would be pleased if he brought it back. Perhaps he would even be named fleet captain!

"Get me a visual." he ordered and the pilot fiddled with his console for a moment before the image appeared on screen. Fezis' four eyes widened. "What in the Gods' names?"

The mech was huge, indeed. Its height easily surpassing the houses around it. It was dark grey in color, with some of its parts being orange, and it held in its hands the biggest rifle Fezis had ever seen. There was also two pods mounted above its shoulders, but what-

"We got locked on! We got locked on!" The pilot shouted in panic a second before a myriad of missiles shot from the mech's pods. "Brace for evasive maneuvers!"

Fezis felt the ship veer to the side and quickly grabbed hold of the passenger seat as the pilot tried to escape the deadly projectiles.

"Shit! I can't lose them! Brace for impact!" he warned a moment before explosions started to shake the ship.

That was the moment Fezis started to fear for his life. "Open the doors! We'll jump!" he shouted to the pilot.

"We're varren meat if I stop even for a second!" More impacts rocked the ship. "Fuck! Shields won't hold at this rate!"

"Do somethi-"

Fezis didn't even get to finish his sentence before another series of impacts made the ship tumble. The last thing he saw was two missiles heading for the cockpit before the explosion engulfed him and his delusions of grandeur.

" _ **Salvo Core Offline."**_

"One down, nine left to go." I breathed as I watched the batarian ship blow up. "BT, I'm leaving the crafts on the west side of the city to you. Make sure none of them leave this planet." I said as I opened the hatch and jumped down.

" _ **Copy that, Ethan. Good luck on your end."**_ The Titan replied.

I turned and smiled behind my helmet as I gave him a thumbs up. After a second, BT responded with the same gesture and I went on my way, quickly jumping on one of the nearby buildings' wall and started heading off toward where the nearest batarian ship marked on my HUD. The nine ships left had landed in a circle pattern to surround the city, which made things both easier and harder for us.

Thanks to the jump kit and grapple, I managed to cover a distance that would have taken me at least ten minutes to cross in three. My hints for finding my targets were relatively easy: follow the screams, laughs and gunshots.

Before the batarians could even become aware of my presence, I was upon them. My Data Knife slid inside the neck and into the brain of the alien forming the rear guard and he collapsed to the ground without a sound. Grabbing the assault rifle before it fell too, I fired three point-blank shots into the head of the nearest one before letting go of the weapon and carving a bloody river on the throat of the one beside him with my knife as he and the seven other batarians turned around.

The one seemingly in charge of the group barked something that I didn't understand and I grabbed the body that was about to fall to use it as a meat shield just as the batarians fired. The kinetic shields activated and I grabbed the object on the batarian's belt that I identified as a grenade before priming it and throwing it at the others. It exploded with the intensity of a flashbang, stunning them.

In the couple of seconds it took for them to try and fire blindly at me, I moved. Grabbing the shotgun from the other batarian's limp hands and throwing the body onto one of its alive fellows, I fired the grapple at the top of a wall on my right and hung there, waiting for the idiots to overheat their weapons. The fact that they were shooting their friends in the process just made things easier for me and two fell under friendly fire. It didn't take long before smoke came out of the guns and they stopped firing.

I jumped down, my feet slamming into the group's leader's head with a loud cracking sound that told me his neck was broken. I pointed the shotgun at the nearest one beside me and fire twice, his head exploding in a shower of gore as a result. Sighting another, I fired another three shots and he dropped to the ground, dead. Feeling the gun becoming burning hot in my hands, I let it fall to the ground, drawing out my Data Knife once more. The last two died in less than ten seconds.

I looked around for any other hostile, and was surprised to find a woman and two children, a girl and a boy, looking at me in awe from the ground a dozen of steps from the batarian leader's corpse. I guessed that I they had been hidden from my view when I spotted the aliens.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" I asked as I approached them.

The woman jumped, before nodding. "Y-yes, we are. Thank you, sir. Are you with the Alliance?"

"...Not exactly." I answered. "I'm sorry, but this is no time for discussion. Can you get yourself and your children to safety?" She nodded again. "Then, please do so. I must deal with the other batarian forces in this city. BT," I contacted my friend as I turned away. "how are things going on your side?"

" _ **I have destroyed another ship and neutralized its troops."**_ The Titan replied. _**"Currently engaging hostiles."**_

Indeed, I could hear batarians shouting and guns firing in the background.

"Got it." I acknowledged as I looted two of the batarian corpses for their shield emitters and weapons before tossing one of each to the woman. "Here, in case you need to defend yourself." She seemed afraid at the sight of the weapon for a moment before her eyes narrowed in determination and she picked it up.

I fixed the other shield emitter on my suit. Although the body armor could sustain a decent amount of gunfire, I didn't know how it would fare against Mass Accelerator weapons and it was better to be safe than sorry. Securing the assault rifle on my back, I also picked up the shotgun I had previously discarded before looking at the woman once more. "Good luck." And with that, I fired my grapple and was away.

I never heard the boy let out a muttered "awesome" before I disappeared between the buildings.

I quickly found the ship the squad I had taken down had used for transport just outside the city. Activating my cloak, I sneaked inside and quickly checked for any prisoners. Finding none, I stealthily made my way to the cockpit, where I found the pilot seemingly trying to call someone with his omni-tool, probably his friends that I had killed. Swiftly, I grabbed his neck and chin with my hands and snapped his head at an unnatural angle. As the body went limp in the seat, I drew my Data Knife and jammed it into one of the console's ports. I would have BT analyze the collected data once the city was safe.

I left the ship intact, knowing that it might come in handy later, and went onward to find my next targets. Along the way, I glimpsed a few human bodies lying in pools of their own blood, with small arms and the rare assault rifle beside them, alongside a couple of dead batarians. Probably the local militia who tried to go against the raiders.

The next group of batarians was in the process of fighting a few armed civilians when I spotted them. Taking the high ground on the top of the building behind them, I took out the assault rifle and fired a burst of mass accelerator rounds at the closest batarian's head. The shields fell with the first five shots and three others ended his life.

It seemed that, with the death of their fellow alien, one of the aliens had enough and barked something to his friends before cocking back his arm to throw a grenade. Not caring about subtlety, I unleashed a hail of rounds on him, breaking his shields in an instant and making him drop his grenade with a shout of pain as he fell to the ground. The other batarians tried to scramble away from the explosive device but weren't quick enough and the detonation sent them flying.

I dropped from my position, switching the assault rifle for the shotgun, and quickly dropped those who were still alive with timed shots in order to prevent the weapon from overheating.

"What happened?!" I heard one of the civilians exclaim.

"I don't know! Seems like one of them blew himself up!" Was the reply from another.

"Come out!" I said clearly. "It's safe, for now."

As the smoke cleared, three men took cautious peeks from their cover, only for their jaws to drop as they saw me standing among batarian corpses. That, coupled with my Pilot Suit, must've made for a pretty impressive and/or intimidating picture.

"Shit, who is this guy?"

"Whatever, he's human. That's enough for me." One of them said before stepping from the wall he was hiding behind. He looked to be in his forties, his hair was starting to grey out and there were a few wrinkles on his face. "Thanks for the help, whoever you are. We owe you our lives."

I nodded. "You can repay me by making sure to get yourselves to safety. My partner and I are going to take care of those raiders."

The man's eyes widened. "Son, there must be still be dozens of those four-eyed bastards! You can't honestly tell me that you think you can do this by yourself!"

"I've faced worse." I replied honestly. "And as I said," there was an explosion on the other side of the city and we turned our heads in that direction. "I'm not alone." I looked at him. "If you really want to help, loot those guys' shield emitters and weapons and try to make sure there aren't any stragglers left."

He nodded, somewhat hesitantly. "Alright, we'll do that. Watch yourself out there and good luck."

I held in a snort. If only he knew. "I try to make my own luck." I responded as I turned and prepared to fire my grapple, but paused. "One of the batarian ships is ten minutes north from this place, just at the edge of the city. I leave it to you." And with that, I fired my grapple and flied away.

From what I could see on my HUD, BT had already taken out three fourths of the ships on his end. That meant they were still three of them in total. There was no doubt in my mind that, as things were, the rest of the batarians were either deeper into the city or were trying to double back to their ships after realizing they had lost contact with two thirds of their numbers. Either way, they probably had already gotten at least few prisoners and there was no way I was letting the slavers get away with them.

"BT, there is a good possibility that the last three ships have human prisoners inside them." I told my friend.

" _ **I have deduced the same from seeing the aliens try to abduct civilians. I shall do my best to disable instead of destroying."**_ The Titan replied. _**"Analysis suggests that the aliens will try to escape soon. We must hurry."**_

"Yeah, I know."

Distracted as I was, I nearly missed the flash of blue somewhere on my right and was just able to bounce of the wall I was running on to dodge a blast of energy that hit the spot I was standing on a second prior. Twisting, I spotted another squad of batarians, with one of them glowing blue and one of his arms extended toward me.

'Biotics!' I realized instantly and activated my cloak. Righting myself, I landed as quietly as I could on the ground and took cover. I heard a batarian bark something and the dots on my radar started moving in my general direction. Before they could get too scattered, I threw one of my frag grenades at them. There was a sound of confusion from some of the batarians before it detonated and I moved, drawing my MK5. The smart pistol quickly locked on the forms of five wounded but still alive aliens and fired just as many shots as I pressed the trigger. As one of those who hadn't been much affected by the blast turned his weapon on me, I double jumped on the wall beside me, avoiding the first volley, and fired my grapple at him. The batarian let out a scream as he was yanked toward me, letting go of his weapon in the process, and I jumped to meet him, shotgun at the ready, before blasting his head into red mist.

As I landed, my gaze was immediately drawn to the blue shield surrounding the last three. I wasn't an export about biotics, but I could make an educated guess from I did know and say that this must have cost some serious power.

The batarian biotic dropped the shield and drew a shotgun as the two others aimed their rifles at me, but didn't shoot. They probably didn't know exactly what to expect and decided to play it smart. As for myself, I considered my options. There wasn't much distance between us, but I'd be dead way before I could engage in CQC. At least, the biotic, judging by his grimace, had nearly fried his implant in creating that barrier, so that was something in my favor. That meant that I had to conserve my distance and kill at least one of them before they could react.

'The kinetic shields should be able to buy me a couple of seconds, but that won't be enough. I need somethi-' A line suddenly appeared on the left top side of my HUD and I quickly read it. 'Holo Pilot Online. Perfect!'

The next moment, I moved, I darted for the batarian on the right and sent the hologram toward the one on the left. Visibly shocked, it took a second for my three foes to start firing. By that time, I had already taken out a Pulse Blade and thrown it at my target. The kunai-like weapon sank into the batarian's throat as I brought up the assault rifle and fired at the other non-biotic alien as I continued to move. Realizing too late that he had been duped, he tried to run away but the volley of mass accelerator rounds tore through his shields and into his body before he even took a fourth step.

It was then that, with a cry of rage, the last batarian rushed at me while firing his shotgun. I charged at him too and the moment my shields broke, I crouched and slid toward him, dodging another spray of shots. Before he could do anything, I somersaulted, kicking the shotgun away from him and drew my Data Knife before plunging it into his heart. The alien looked at his chest for a second before coughing blood. Muttering something in his language, he slumped against my hand, dead.

I pushed the body away and cleaned my knife before taking back the Pulse Blade from the throat of the other. That done, I quickly made my way to the ship's location and once again cloaked as I entered it. This one, however, already had a few people inside cages. I was about to head for the cockpit when I heard a distinctly female scream coming from another part of the ship. Forgoing stealth, I sprinted through the ship and quickly spotted a door with a red lock on it. Another scream came from inside the room and I jammed the Data Knife in the control panel. A couple of seconds later, the lock turned green and the door opened to reveal a naked woman bound on a table and a batarian with his pants down to his ankles leaning down on her.

Although I knew what to expect, I froze for an instant. The next, fury coursed through me and I stepped inside before giving the would-be rapist the mother of all haymakers, sending him to the ground with a cry of pain. My shotgun found its way into my hands and I blasted the alien with three shots, spraying blood everywhere.

I took a couple of steadying breaths before turning to the woman, who was looking at me in a mix of awe, relief and fear. Slowly, as to not appear threatening, I took my knife and cut her restraints. Next thing I knew, she was throwing herself at me and clutching me like a lifeline as she sobbed uncontrollably. As softly as I could, I picked her up and trekked back to the cages I had seen earlier.

"Marie!" One of the prisoners, a man with similar light brown hair as the woman, threw himself against his cage as he saw her in my arms. Probably her brother, judging by the resemblance between the two.

"She's fine." I said, picking one of the coats lying on the floor and draping it around her form. "The stress made her fall asleep, is all. I stopped the bastard just in time." Carefully, I laid her down against one of the ship's walls, having to slowly pry her fingers off me before going to open the cages, starting with the supposed brother.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." he nearly cried and I simply nodded before moving to the next cage as he made a bee-line for his sister.

Once all of them were free, I directed them outside of the ship in case more batarians might come back to it, and told them to hunker down somewhere safe until it was over. This got me another round of tearful thank-yous. I was about to usher them away when my coms flared to life.

" _ **Ethan, we have a problem."**_ BT said.

Instantly, I fired my grapple to the nearest rooftop and looked around to find my Titan partner a few hundred meters from my position. "Lay it on me, BT." I said as I started making my way to him.

" _ **The last of the enemy forces have retreated to the remaining ship with human prisoners and are about to take off."**_ He explained. _ **"Trying to disable the ship this situation presents too much risks for the hostages."**_

Indeed, I could see the batarian ship rising in the air. Thinking fast, I fired my grapple once more and slung myself into the skyline. "Then we have only one chance to do this right. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

" _ **A throw is our only option."**_ The Titan replied as he caught me and cocked back his arm for his trademark fastball throw. _**"Calculating. Brace yourself."**_

"I trust you. Ready when you are, buddy!"

With a mighty heave, BT flung me at the ship. Just as before, his throw was perfectly calculated in order to bring me right above the batarian ship as it continued to ascend and I landed feet first on top of it.

'Now, to get inside. How am I going to do this?' Then, another line appeared on my HUD. 'Phase Shift Online. Talk about lucky timing.'

'You know it.'

I rolled my eyes at Luck's voice and clenched my left fist. The world turned grey and I floated in the air for half a second before clenching my fist again. The colors came back and I was suddenly inside the ship, right in a Batarian's face. The alien's four eyes widened as he opened his mouth and I quickly punched him in the solar plexus, cutting off his scream before it could even begin. Not giving him any time to recover, I grabbed his head in a choke hold and broke his neck.

Looking around, I realized that I was in what was probably the engine room. Not seeing any other batarians, I checked my HUD for the ship's display and located where the cages were from my position. Cloaking, I swiftly and stealthily made my way there. Still invisible, I opened the door and jumped inside the room as the four batarians who seemed to be standing guard turned.

As two of them started speaking in their native language, I slipped between them unseen until I was behind the one the furthest away from the door. Drawing my Data Knife, I covered his mouth with one hand and stabbed him repeatedly in where the kidney would be for a human. Fortunately, it seemed to also contain a vital organ as the batarian bucked weakly against me before his body went limp and his weapon clattered to the floor.

That made the other three turn and shout in shock before they leveled their weapons at me and fired. Using the corpse as a meat-shield, I fired my grapple at the one closest to me and yanked him toward me and into the wall behind, knocking him out. Then I threw my meat-shield at one of the last two before sending a hologram at the other. He seemingly hesitated, not knowing which one to shoot and that was all I needed to draw my shotgun and shoot him twice, destroying his shield with the first and ending his life with the second.

Shots impacted my own shields and I rolled to the side to see the last still fighting batarian firing at me with his assault rifle as he pushed the body I had thrown at him aside. Activating my jump kit, I jumped on the wall on my left, jumped again to avoid another hail of gunfire and twisted so that my feet would land on the wall perpendicular to the other one and launched myself at him. My right knee met his face at full speed, making his head snap back before I spun and roundhouse kicked him, sending him skidding on the floor, unconscious.

"Always wanted to do that." I muttered satisfactorily to myself. I heard a groan and looked at the batarian laying in a heap at the feet of the room's far end wall. Before he could truly wake up, I walked up to him and took my assault rifle before firing three point-blank rounds into his head, proceeding to do the same with the last one still alive.

Relaxing slightly, I looked around to find fifteen or so people looking at me in awe and held in a chuckle. I was used to those kind of stares from the other riflemen in the Militia but it still felt weird.

Quickly, I opened their cages and spoke before any of them could. "Take their weapons and stay here. You'll be able to defend yourselves more easily if one of those bastards come by while I go and take control of the cockpit."

"Alone?! That's too reckless!" One of the men shouted.

"He's right. There's at least twenty of them on this ship." Another one agreed.

I gestured to the alien bodies on the floor. "You saw what I just did. Trust me, twenty won't be too much of a problem. More importantly, do one of you know how to fly this thing or do I need to keep the pilot alive?"

A woman with short blond hair timidly raised her hand. "Um, I-I do. Sir."

"Good." I nodded. "Once the fighting is over, make your way to the cockpit and do your thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some clean up to do."

With that, I exited the room. The shooting had probably sounded the alarm and I had no doubt the batarians were aware that something was wrong. Logically, they would group up in an easy to hold position near the cockpit and wait for us attackers to come to them. I looked at the ship's layout. There was a bottleneck like corridor just before the one leading to the cockpit. They'd be there, no need to think twice about it.

Admittedly, my options were limited. I still had one frag grenade on me, but I doubted it would be enough for such a fire fight. My cloak would be useless once I'd be close enough for them to see the slight color shift in the environment and phase-shifting would result in me free falling back in the sky. As for Holo Pilot, it might cause them to overheat their weapons before they realized the trick, but I would not be able to take them all down before they could fire again. I had switched my magazines for the MK5, but eighteen shots wouldn't be enough, moreover if they still had their shields.

One option was to use Holo Pilot, throw my frag grenade once their weapons were overheated, empty my MK5 and charge in hoping for the best. Brilliant, but too risky.

'Thankfully, I have the perfect tool for the job.' I thought as I tapped the disc-like object on my back.

An Aped Wall Emitter. A device capable of creating a protection of fifteen seconds against incoming shots from the front and which amplified my own gunfire. In a bottleneck corridor, what more could I have asked for?

Quickly, I moved through the ship and, upon nearing the intended trap, cloaked. Sure enough, here they were, all twenty of them, weapons at the ready and hiding behind a makeshift barricade of crates. Stepping back out of their line of fire, I uncloaked and sent a hologram marching forward. One of the batarians shouted and a true flood of gunfire started colliding with the wall beside me. I could hear other confused shouts and then, almost suddenly, the shooting stopped.

Moving out of cover, I cocked back my arm and threw my last frag grenade strongly enough that it would end up behind the barricade. The moment it detonated, I grabbed the Amped Wall Emitter and threw it in front of me before I drew my MK5. A curved and wide slightly taller than me orange wall made of transparent honeycomb patterns sprang up in front of me, blocking incoming gunfire as the smart pistol locked on ten moving forms and I pulled the trigger. Ten times the small weapon bucked in my hand, its bullets,amped by the wall, being more than enough to drop each of their target, even with their shields still active. I shifted my aim, and it locked onto six more of them half a second later. I fired once more and all of them went down.

Swiftly, I switched my pistol for the assault rifle, aimed at barricade and waited. Sure enough, a lightly wounded batarian jumped out of a cover with a war cry a few seconds later to charge at me, but a dozen of amped mass accelerator rounds dropped him before he could even cross half the distance. I waited again, and the Amped Wall deactivated. Keeping my aim steady a few seconds more, I slowly crouched and grabbed the emitter before clipping it to my waist. The thing could be recharged and there was no way I wasn't taking it back after use if I could help it. That done, I cautiously advanced, switching the assault rifle for the shotgun.

It was then that five still alive batarians sprung from under their fellows' corpses and aimed their weapons at me.

"Oh shi-" I cut myself off as they started firing and quickly sent a hologram forward as I dashed for one of the still standing crates. My shields broke and I felt a few shots impact my body armor as I got to cover. Bringing up the shotgun, I popped up and aimed at the first alien I saw before firing twice and going back under cover. The sound of a body hitting the ground told me I had one less foe to worry about.

'At this range, trying to engage in a firefight will only make my situation worse.' I analyzed my situation quickly. 'And in that case...!' I drew my data knife and a pulse blade before cloaking and bursting out of my cover. I flung the throwing blade at the closest batarian and my aim was true as it buried itself between his four eyes. Not stopping to confirm the kill, I jumped at the next one and slammed my knee into his jaw. He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut and I grabbed his body to shield myself from the incoming gunfire of the other two. Advancing, I dropped the body and jumped on the wall beside me before wall-running to the dumbfounded alien and planting my knife in his neck. The last one opened fire desperately at me and when his gun quickly overheated again, just short of breaking my shields, he threw it at me. I casually batted the weapon aside before drawing the shotgun again and fired twice, killing him.

And then, there was silence.

I took a couple a breaths, took back my knife, cleaned it and tranquilly made my way to the cockpit. I opened the door to find a terrified pilot holding a pistol at me with trembling hands. The batarian screamed before firing at me and I batted the weapon away casually before holding him up by the collar of his suit.

"Alright, buddy. I'm going to make this easy for you: put me on speakers and I won't toss you out of the airlock, deal?" He nodded frantically. "Good. Now get to it." I pushed him toward the console.

The alien fiddled with it for a couple of seconds before he nodded again and gestured to the console. I fixed him with a stare for a moment, but he only shrunk on himself before sputtering something in his language. I marched to the console and said clearly, "The ship's safe now, you-" I crouched, dodging the sloppy slash the batarian attempted with a hidden knife, before shoving the shotgun in his gut and shooting twice. "Sorry about that. As I was saying, you can come up."

A couple of minutes later, the young pilot woman the others of the now ex-prisoners came inside the cockpit, all armed, before they relaxed upon seeing me.

"Damn, you really did this all by yourself, didn't you?" One of them whistled.

"I told you I could do it." I retorted and turned to the young woman. "Alright, miss. Take us back to solid ground, if you would."

"Gladly." she said before taking the pilot seat and started to fiddle with the console.

A few minutes later, we were touching down just in front of the city and, from what I had seen, a whole crowd of people. As we made our way to exit the ship, I started to wonder what BT and I would do. We were an unknown variable with technology no one in the galaxy possessed and that everyone would be happy to kill us for. Add in the fact that I had no identity, no money and that BT was an AI... Well, I'd be surprised if we didn't end up on some people's 'most wanted' list. The Shadow Broker in particular would be very tricky to handle but perhaps, if I played my cards right, I could get the Yahg to leave us alone.

Anyway, my priorities, once I'd have found out where and when I was, would be to get a transport ship in which to hide BT's chassis and getting off this planet before the Alliance would get here. After that... we'd see.

"Sir?"

"Hm?" I blinked out of my thoughts and looked at the young woman who had flown the ship. "What is it?"

"I... I just wanted to say thank you." she looked down. "If you hadn't been there... I'd rather not think what might have happened."

I smiled slightly under my helmet before landing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't think about what-ifs. I stopped the worse from happening, but learn from today and make sure it doesn't happen again. Because if it does after I'm gone, then what I did will have been for naught."

"Wise words." Another voice said and I turned to find a man with spiky black hair and a goatee approach. His deep blue eyes bored into me as he stopped a couple of steps away. "We will take them to heart, I'm sure. My name is Hektor Salvail, Governor of this city, and on behalf on this colony, I thank you for stopping those batarian raiders. We owe you a great debt."

I waved my hand in dismissal. "I only did my job, sir. More importantly, I must ask, how important are the casualties?"

"Unfortunately, over forty people died trying to defend their families. There are many wounded, but most of them will be fine with a couple days of rest, I was told." he answered. "It doesn't appear there are any stragglers in the city, but I have some men making rounds, just in case."

I nodded. "That's good. Have you contacted the Alliance?"

"We did. However, we are far away from any of their stations, so it will take probably at least a a day or two before they come." He shook his head in sorrow. "We knew establishing a colony in the Terminus Systems would be dangerous, but I didn't expect that we would be targeted by raiders so soon."

I blinked. So we were on a human colony in the Terminus Systems? "I'm guessing that explains your lack of defenses?"

Hektor nodded. "We had hoped that we would have the time to stabilize our economy and trades before having to invest in security. Perhaps ask for the Queen of Omega's protection if she deemed us valuable enough."

That didn't surprise me. From what I knew, if you could get Aria's support, there was much less risks of you being a target. Omega's golden rule was also that of the Terminus Systems, albeit to a lesser extent.

" _ **Ethan."**_

I looked to see BT walk toward us and I saw that people started to look nervous as the Titan drew closer. "Hey, BT. How are you holding up?"

" _ **Power levels will soon become critical but I have not suffered important damage. However, my ammunition count is running low. I recommend limiting ourselves to Close Quarters Combat until we can resupply."**_ My friend replied.

I crossed my arms and hummed. "That might not happen for quite some time, BT. As it is, we're going to have to lay low for a while."

" _ **Acknowledged."**_

I turned back to Hektor, who was looking apprehensively at the Titan. "I would like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright with you."

The man jumped slightly before facing me. "Certainly. I will answer to the best of my ability."

"Thank you." I nodded. "Now, I'm sorry if this is kind of a weird question to ask but...

What's the date and where are we?"

 **And that's it for the second chapter. Quite packed with action and I hope it was alright.**

 **As always, I accept all kind of reviews aside from baseless flaming.**

 **Oh, by the way, after deliberating the issue with myself, a couple of friends and my cat, I decided to move this story to the crossover section.**

 **Anyway, this is MidnightFenrir, author of "Effect of a Titanfall", signing out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! I'm still alive! Surprise surprise!**

 **Alright, next chapter here we go.**

I groaned in pleasure as I felt the warm water hit my skin. I hadn't taken a shower in… well, pretty much a long while. Sure, I had a couple of baths on Typhon, but this couldn't even compare to the feeling of having a true shower. Oh, how I had missed this.

Tilting my head back to let the water fall on my face, I thought back to what Hektor had told us. We were on Cyrene, a human colony in the Terminus Systems, and the year was 2181, two years before the events of Eden Prime.

That was quite surprising. Honestly, I had almost expected arriving in the middle of the Reaper War or after Shepard's death prior to ME2.

Anyway, it meant that I had time to prepare for what was to come. The question was, how much would I want to be involved? Should I let Shepard progress alone and only intervene when necessary, or should I take a more active role? There was a lot I could do in two years, yet, at the same time, not so much.

But before I'd take any action, there was research to be done. With the couple of omni-tools that I had acquired from the batarians and BT, it would only take a few hours to have all the information I needed.

The most important of which was if ME technology was compatible with Titanfall's. And if so, what would be the differences? Could omni-gel be used to recreate said technology or would I need more resources?

Also, see if we could find some alternate source of energy for BT's reactor core, perhaps even have him installed inside a smaller chasis, like that of a security mech, before we could get the Titan's capabilities back to one hundred percent.

Still, no matter what I decided to do, I would still have to gather resources, like a ship in which I could transport BT's chasis, and money. Preferably from outside of the Citadel's watchful gaze until I'd be ready. Which meant staying in the Terminus Systems for the meantime, which in turn meant that I would have to go to Omega for "job hunting", which meant I would have to meet Arya.

Ugh… There was absolutely NO WAY that would turn well for anyone involved. But we had little other options if we wanted to stay somewhat under the radar of the Council and the Alliance, not to mention Cerberus. The Shadow Broker was also another matter to consider but I had enough information on the Yahg to keep him silent about us… I hoped.

I dried myself with the first towel I found and put on the clothes Hektor had generously provided me. It felt a bit weird to be out of my Pilot Suit after so long, but a good weird. I was currently inside a room of one of the city hotels and I had to admit I was grateful for the privacy it provided. I had no desire to be mobbed by people.

As for BT? Well, his optic monitor was on the bed while his Chasis was at the edge of the city. I knew the probability of anyone trying anything was low, but I had still left an alarm that would alert us if anyone came too close of it, just to be safe.

"So, BT, how's the Extranet?" I asked my partner, who was connected to the omni-tool.

" _ **Fascinating, yet so similar to what I am accustomed to."**_ Was the reply.

"Huh." I blinked. "I don't know what I expected, but I guess that's internet: it never really changes." I said as I sat down. "Anything worthy of note?"

" _ **Affirmative, starting with the different alien species populating this galaxy and said galaxy's star charts. Then there is the difference in technology and the fact that I cannot find anything related to the IMC or the Militia. The human military is called the Alliance."**_ There was a pause. _ **"We are far away from home, Ethan."**_

I snorted. "That's putting it mildly, BT. Who knows what the Ark exactly did, but I'd bet we aren't getting back anytime soon. Hell, it wouldn't be farfetched to assume we're in an entirely different universe or dimension."

" _ **The Solar System is just as it has always been, but everything else is… wrong."**_ BT's optical monitor narrowed. _**"How strange, that humanity still has the same cradle but an entirely different universe outside of it."**_

I was unsurprised, that's the multiverse theory for you. "Don't dwell on it, you'll just go around in circles. More importantly, keep an eye out for anything that might betray our presence. Photos, videos, anything. Shut them down before it can truly get out as something real or we won't get any peace anywhere we go."

" _ **I am already on it. One hundred and twenty-six attempts neutralized at this moment."**_

Freakin' civilian gossipers.

As much as Hektor had promised me they would keep our presence a secret, I knew better than to trust his word blindly.

"Also, can you try and compare our technology to theirs? I'd like to know if they are compatible."

" _ **Acknowledged."**_

Nodding, I rose and went to find something to eat. As I was about to open the fridge, I paused, seeing my reflection in the mirror above it.

Now that I had washed away all the blood, sweat and grime, I didn't look like some psychopath. My short brown hair had grown during our time on Typhon, now forming spiky bangs that could easily fall to eye level if I let them grow a bit more. I had tried to maintain a very short beard and mustache, but with nothing but my data knife, the result had been a tad catastrophic. I would remedy to that in the morning. Steel grey eyes stared back at their owner and blinked. All in all, if you discounted the bruises and scars, I could pass as a rugged but average human in his late twenties.

I shook my head and opened the fridge, taking out a couple of chocolate bars and a can of soda before plopping back on the bed and activating my own omni-tool. The thing was quite tricky to use but I figured I would get used to it soon enough. So, while BT continued his job, I decided to see what he had managed to get from the data I had hacked from the batarian ships.

As expected, the raid had been sanctioned by the Hegemony but to find actual proof of it still surprised me somewhat. The four-eyes must have really thought they wouldn't encounter any trouble if there was still something to trace the raiders back to the Hegemony. Other than that, there were coordinates to what I supposed was their raid base and other caches of various goods… including slaves.

Most surprising, perhaps, were the various reports of operations against human colonies. Those batarians had been at it for years, possibly since the first conflicts between the Alliance and the Hegemony. According to the data, they had only relocated to the Terminus Systems recently, so as to lay low for a while before going back to their activities.

Which meant that I had in my hands proof that the Hegemony had supported the slaver raids. Actual proof, at that. Although I knew that it didn't matter much, as the Council would never agree to open conflict against the Hegemony, anyway. Still, this could be some kind of hidden ace in the hole that I would need later. Perhaps to get me in the Alliance's good graces?

I was also pleasantly surprised to find mentions of a batarian transport ship at the raiders' base. Probably what they used to ship their ill-acquired goods back to batarian space or anywhere else they might sell them. It seemed like I had found my next objective: raid the raiders.

Still, that meant I needed someone to fly me off this planet and to said base. I'd see about that tomorrow. Surely there would be someone willing?

I closed the batarian data and went onto the extranet. Time to learn a little more about the state of the galaxy as a whole.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of knocking on the door of my room. Blearily, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. When had I fallen asleep? There was more knocking at the door and, shaking off the tiredness, I swiftly got up, donned my helmet on and opened it with a short "Yes?"

The man, who still had his hand raised to knock, was startled for a moment before he quickly composed himself. "Beg your pardon, sir, but Mr Salvail would like a word with you."

I nodded. "I'll be down in fifteen minutes at most. Thank you." That said, I closed the door and took off my helmet, laying it on the bed. "BT, what time is it?"

" _ **It is currently 9.17 am of March 23, 2181 by Earth's calendar. You have slept a total of eight hours and thirty-three minutes."**_ The Titan dutifully answered.

I blinked. I had slept eight and a half hours? I could be at 100% with half that much, usually. Guess I had really needed it. "Anything happened during that time?"

" _ **Four people tried to analyze my chassis but their scans didn't get past the firewalls. Fifty-seven photographs and thirty-four videos were uploaded on the extranet but I have deleted all of them, amounting to a total of two hundred and twenty seven traces of our presence intercepted. Twelve people came to the hotel to inquire about you but the manager turned them away."**_

"So, nothing unexpected then." I summed up. "Do you have answers for me regarding what we discussed last night?"

" _ **This 'Element Zero' technology is very adaptable. Analysis states that compatibility rate between ours and theirs exceeds 90%. Calculations suggest that, with modifications, we could drastically improve most of our own weaponry while ignoring most of the drawbacks from Element Zero."**_

"Even when it comes to Titans?"

" _ **From what data I have gathered, adding an Element Zero Drive core the size of those that can be found in standard Alliance vehicles would be able to increase my output time by 50%."**_

My eyes widened. "That's... impressive, to say the least." I replied quietly.

And what an understatement that was! I had suspected that Eezo cores could make a big difference, but to such an extent?

A Titan, with its reactor core supported by four batteries, could move for an average of a a week in combat, with only seventy-two hours at maximum output, before its batteries needed to be changed. Thing was, the damage a Titan sustained in the field and the weapons it used could drain the things dry very quickly if you weren't careful. Titans used for farming and other war-unrelated things could last, at most, a month before you needed to change their batteries.

But put an Eezo core alongside the reactor core to alleviate the Titan's mass and thus the strain on the reactor, and you had one and half the time without decreasing the output, it seemed.

" _ **Unfortunately, adding an Element Zero core to my chasis is currently impossible, given the space it would require, and redesigning the chasis around it is not something we are capable of doing."**_

"That's a shame but keep that idea in your database, BT. Who knows, we might be able to implement it at some point. But back to my original question about our weapons, can you give me an example of the improvements?"

" _ **Taking a standard R-201 Carbine and applying Mass Accelerator technology to it, we should obtain a weapon capable of firing a thousand shots before the heat sink would need to be changed, a third of that if continuous fire is sustained. And even then, the heat sink's thermal energy could be used for various purposes such as powering your pilot tactical tools. That is, of course, if we want to preserve the rifle's original accuracy, fire rate and damage."**_

Why, that just sounded perfect. "And what about others such as the L-STAR, or the anti-titan and Titan weaponry?"

" _ **When it comes to more unconventional weaponry, tests will have to be made but my calculations indicate that we should be able to improve them as well."**_

I nodded as I stood and went to the bathroom. "Sounds good. I'll make do with the weapons we collected for now, but I hope we'll be able to get what we need to recreate our technology soon."

I missed my Alternator SMG.

A few minutes later, after shaving my uneven beard and mustache and donning my pilot suit once again, I went to meet Hektor at the front desk.

"Ah, Mr Wolfe. Good morning" the man greeted me with a warm but tired smile. "I assume you slept well?"

"Like a rock." I replied with an equally warm tone. "What about you? I hope the night haven't been too difficult for you and your citizen?" I asked, slightly concerned as I spied the dark rings under his eyes.

"Well... I don't think much of us slept soundly, if at all. I know a lot of people, myself included, were subject to nightmares and dreaded falling asleep again." he answered, his smile dimming a bit.

"That's understandable. It will probably take a couple of weeks before things can go back to normal, but the important thing is that you make sure they know that they are safe and that you will take care of them. Beyond that, psychological evaluations and therapy would be a great thing to do. I'm sure the Alliance will be willing to provide such aid when they arrive."

Hektor seemed to be relieved by my words. "Please, take a seat." he gestured to the couches. "We have much to discuss, and litle time to do so."

I nodded and sat as he did the same. "First," he began, "let me thank again for your help yesterday. I do not wish to think how this would have ended had not intervened."

"As I said before, I was only doing my duty." I humbly replied.

"Nevertheless, you have my gratitude. Now, if you do not mind, might I ask what your plans are for the near future?"

I wasn't surprised by his question and decided to answer honestly. "Short term, I plan to leave the planet before the Alliance arrives and take control of the pirates' assets now that I now the location of their base. Long term... I am not sure."

He nodded. "I suspected something of that nature. Of course, I will help in any way I can. That is the least I can do."

Deducing that trying to refuse would only serve to waste time I simply nodded. "Aside from a few resources, what I mainly need is someone who knows to pilot, and possibly maintain, a ship. Once I take control of the pirates' base, I would be able to employ people to do that. From there, I will see what my options are."

Hektor raised an eyebrow. "So you intend to go to Omega? While I do not doubt your abilities, you will not be able to enjoy secrecy once you are on that station."

I had to give the man some credit, he was sharp. "Do not worry, Hektor, I know what to expect from Omega and its queen. And I know my presence and the technology I carry with me will be made known to the powers of this galaxy soon enough. I just need some time to get myself started so that I can handle the follow-up."

"A most wise course of action." he commented. "I will ask for people willing to help you in your endeavor. Doubtless there will a few who will want revenge or to leave Cyrene for a while, perhaps forever." he paused, looking saddened by his words, but knowing that they were true. "There is another topic that I wish to broach with you, Mr Wolfe."

I frowned slightly under my helmet. "What is it?"

"That machine of yours... Is it an AI?" he asked quietly

For a moment, silence reigned inside the hotel's lobby as Hektor and I gazed at each other. From the corner of my HUD, I could see the front desk man looking a bit uncomfortable at the sudden increase in tension.

I sighed. "You are very sharp man, Hektor. And while I will neither confirm nor deny that statement, be assured that I know the galaxy's policy concerning Artificial Intelligence." I replied just as quietly. "However, make no mistake, BT has been my partner for far too long for me to doubt him. His protocols are clear on what his priorities are and he will protect me until his total destruction." I leaned forward, bracing my arms on my knees. "I am his Pilot, and he is my Titan. We are Linked until one, or both, of us dies. But our mission is, and will always be, to protect those who cannot protect themselves." My piece said, I leaned back into the couch. "I hope that you understand where I stand."

Hektor nodded. "I do. And, to be honest, I am relieved that you show such conviction. It is refreshing from what we have to deal with here, in the Terminus Systems. Rest assured that we will claim BT to be an advanced VI, nothing more. "He said as he rose from his seat. "But I do hope that you will maintain contact with us even after you leave, should we need your assistance."

My mind flashed to the Collectors, and their abductions of human colonies. "Of course. If there ever is trouble that the Alliance cannot deal with, you will have but to call me and I will do my utmost to help."

Hektor smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." he held out his hand and I shook it firmly. "Now, I shall leave you to your occupations, Mr Wolfe. Rest assured, you shall have your ship and a pilot ready in but a few hours."

As I watched Hektor leave, I couldn't help but smile. The man had a good head on his shoulders and truly looked after his people to the best of his abilities. Once the Alliance would give him the means to protect the colony, I had no doubt that Cyrene wouldn't suffer another raid for at least a few years... until the collectors and the Reapers.

I felt my smile evaporate at that thought.

The Reapers... could my presence in this galaxy make enough of an impact to change what I know will happen? Even with my, admittedly limited, knowledge of the future, I had no idea for how to truly eradicate the Reapers. The best option would be to find some way to fix the Crucible to target only the Reapers and spare the Geth, EDI and the mass relays. Not to mention... BT himself.

The way I saw it, the best I could do was to prepare for the worst and make it so that the situation doesn't hit total rock bottom once the invasion starts. That meant planning on a huge scale, both economically and politically.

Just thinking about it was enough to give me a headache.

With a sigh, I went to the elevator and made my way back to my room. BT had, of course, listened in on the whole conversation with Hektor via my helmet and as I hadn't received any comment or alert from him, I could assume that everything was fine.

"Any news?" I asked him as the door closed and locked itself behind me.

" _ **Nothing relevant."**_ Was BT's answer. _**"It seems you have decided on our next objective."**_

I nodded. "We have to start somewhere. Taking overs those pirates' assets will go open much more possibilities than we have currently. I have no doubt that you've seen what the extranet has to say about Omega and I would rather venture there once I can be in a position to negotiate."

" _ **A valid argument."**_ The Titan commented. _**"What shall we do in the meantime?"**_

"Right now, I'm planning to do some physical exercise and then we'll perform whatever maintenance we can on your chasis." I replied, taking off my helmet and starting to stretch and warm up. "Oh, and while you're still connected, can you give me everything interesting that you can find on a 'Shepard' in the Alliance?"

There was a pause for a couple of seconds. _**"Search results gave four relevant individuals. Hannah Shepard, Marcus Shepard, John Shepard and Jane Shepard."**_

I blinked, freezing in my stretching for a second before continuing. Two Shepards and their parents? That was unexpected. "Give me a general history of the family."

Another pause. _**"Hannah Shepard, born on Earth in 2127, exact date of birth and original surname unknown. Lived on the streets until the age of eighteen, upon which she enlisted in the Alliance. Married to civilian Marcus Shepard in 2152 and gave birth to twins in 2154. The family established itself on the colony of Mindoir, relatively close to the close to the Alliance station Hannah Shepard served on at the time. In 2171, Mindoir is attacked by Batarian raiders and all colonists, save for Jane Shepard, are killed or abducted, Marcus and John Shepard were KIA trying to fend off the raiders. Jane Shepard then proceeded joined the Alliance at eighteen."**_

I mechanically dropped to the ground, starting a series of push-ups while I digested the information. 'So all three backgrounds mixed into a single one, huh? Can't say I'm surprised, though. Still, the picture it painted isn't a pretty one.' I almost dreaded to hear which 'Nom de Guerre' Jane had earned but I wasn't about to let it deter me.

"What else can you tell me?"

" _ **Hannah Shepard, while not having any outstanding achievement, is serving aboard the SSV Kilimanjaro as its XO. The remaining twin has shown great potential and was introduced into the N-7 program, which she graduated with honorable mentions. In 2179, Jane Shepard received her nickname, the Lioness of Elysium, for her actions during first the defense of the city of Elysium against a Batarian raid."**_

I hummed slightly in thought as I carried on with my push-ups. There hadn't been any mention of the Sole Survivor or Butcher backgrounds there, but something like that was probably buried somewhere no one would look and kept out of public information. Still... I hadn't expected to learn about the history of the Shepard family as a whole.

I shook my head slightly as I switched positions and began sit-ups. I had two years before I would have to worry about Shepard, so there wasn't any use thinking about her now. Still, it seemed that, compared to the Titanfall universe where my path had been pretty much a straight line with little to no possibility of deviating, the Mass Effect universe had much more variables that could be changed and/or influenced. I had expected that, kind of, but while it meant that nothing was truly set in stone, it would make things harder to predict.

"Thanks. BT." I said between repetitions.

There was a moment of silence filled by only my huffed breaths before BT spoke again.

" _ **Ethan... Is there something you are not telling me?"**_

I almost fell over at that. "What do you mean?"

" _ **Ever since we have arrived in this new universe, you have not been very surprised or shocked by what we have discovered. Correction. Even before this event, you seemed to anticipate a lot of things or reacted in ways that were most unusual compared to your psych profile. Again, is there something you are not telling me?"**_

I smirked slightly. As expected of BT, there was no way I could have hidden that from him.

"I was planning one telling you, eventually, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now. Then again, if there was anyone I would expect to pick up on that, it would be you, Partner." I replied as I sat up and faced the Titan's optical monitor. "You're right that I'm not surprised by what we've found in this universe so far. And you're right that I've been able to anticipate a lot of what happened to us back on Typhon. But are you sure you want me to tell you? The answer might be hard to hear, even for you."

" _ **I am ready."**_ BT said without hesitation.

"Alright." I took a deep breath. "My name is Ethan Wolfe. I was born on Earth in 1989 AD... and I died because of a car accident in 2017. And in my home universe, both the one we came from and this one are video games." I bluntly told the Titan.

There was a lengthy pause before BT responded. _**"My apologies but I think my audio receivers must have glitched for a moment. You said that you... died?"**_

I nodded. "Upon my demise, I was presented with a choice by two entities which I assumed to be the manifestations of Luck and Fate. While I could not be sent back without being reincarnated, they told me I could keep my memories and embark on an, in their own words, adventure." I explained. "The next time I woke up, I was on medical bed inside the Nightingale, with memories that were both mine and at the same time weren't. I can only assume that the Ethan Wolfe of that universe died and I ended up taking his body. A body that was the same as my previous one but, at the same time, not. Getting the use of it, its reflexes and all the muscle memory was a pain, let me tell you. As for the rest... well, you know just as much as I do."

BT didn't react for a time before his optical monitor plates narrowed slightly. _**"What exactly did you mean when you said this universe and the one we came from were games?"**_

"Just that." I replied. "Where I come from, all that we went through on Typhon was a game for people to experience. They would control a man by the name of Jack Cooper, a militia rifleman apprenticing under Captain Taï Lastimosa, and experience through their screen everything we did. So yes, I was able to anticipate quite a few things that happened to us because I knew they would." I paused. "But even knowing what was awaiting us, there was little I could truly change about how things played out. If I could have, I would have saved Lastimosa or killed that asshole Blisk when I had the chance." I sighed. "However, it's different here. While I have a... general knowledge of the big events that will happen in the future, there are too much variables, too much things that can change and too many unknowns for me to accurately predict how things will turn. The most I- WE- can do, is prepare for the worst."

For a long while, BT stayed silent and I couldn't help but wonder if what I'd just told him had frozen his processor. Then,

" _ **Protocol Two: Uphold The Mission. What is our mission, Ethan?"**_

I grinned. "Nothing much, BT. Just, you know, helping to save the galaxy from extinction. The usual."

" _ **Acknowledged."**_ Just as he said that, his monitor blinked and the plates frowned. _**"I do not detect sarcasm?"**_

My grin widened. "No rest for the wicked, buddy."

" _ **My calculations showed there was a 66.6% chance that you would say that."**_

I laughed.

I grunted with effort as I tightened the screw in one of the joints of BT's right arm as much as I could. It had been two hours since the Titan and I started to work on repairing and maintaining what we could on his chasis and to say the battle with Slone and the Ark energy had fucked up a lot of things was an understatement. There was a reason Laser Cores were the deadliest to face in the field. And while the majority of the Ion models weren't capable of sustaining it more than a few seconds, it was enough to do serious damage on a Titan, since it fried and melted pretty much everything it came in contact with and was nigh unblockable.

And Slone's Ion, while not much different from the other models I'd seen before when it came to the power of its arsenal aside from its Phase Shift ability, had been customized in a way that allowed it to use its Laser Core for an extended period of time and repeatedly, provided she didn't overclock her Titan. Also, as she had stated during our fight, trying to outrun a Laser Core was impossible. I had only just managed to stay alive by using Sword Core's improved Blocking ability and Phase Shift to confuse her, and even then I came close way too many times to loosing and arm or a leg of the chasis. How many batteries did I end up changing during that fight, just to make sure our shield would last at least half a second when hit by that Laser Core?

Anyway, my fight with Slone aside, the fact was that BT had suffered extended damage because of it and the Ark's energy hadn't improved things. All in all, it was pretty much a miracle that BT was still able to function at most of his capacities. It would take a lot of fixing and tinkering to get the Titan back to 100%, what with the chasis being composed of over 25k pieces, but I was confident that, once we had the needed resources to do so, it would only be a matter of time.

With a final grunt, I tried to turn the screw a bit more and, seeing that it wouldn't budge, I huffed in satisfaction as I climbed down BT's arm.

"How's that BT? Any trouble moving?"

The Titan moved his arm experimentally and I winced a bit hearing the arm squeak.

" _ **This is adequate, for the moment."**_

"Glad to hear it." I replied. "I know it's only a patch-up job but it's better than anything we could have done without the omni-tool."

The flash-forging ability of the device was a boon, no doubt about that. Some of the more fragile and small parts of BT were easily repaired or recreated thanks to it and the omni-gel. I didn't know how long or how effective those repairs would be, and I doubted that I would need to use BT's chasis for some time, but it was better than nothing.

" _ **Someone is approaching."**_

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to see a petite woman making her way toward us. My eyes zeroed on the short blond hair framing a heart shaped face with chestnut eyes and I recognized her as the one who had flown the ship back to the city once I had completely hijacked it.

I remained silent for a moment as she continued to walk toward us, her eyes going back and forth between BT and I.

"Can I help you?" I asked, once she was but a few steps from me.

She blinked. "Um-Well, that is to say..." she fumbled with her words. "I was told you were looking for a pilot?"

My eyes widened slightly behind my helmet. Hektor was working fast, to say the least. "Indeed, I am. Are you volunteering?" She nodded slowly. "Then I trust that you know what I'm planning to do?"

"You plan to attack the raiders' base." She said bluntly.

I nodded. "Then welcome aboard." I held out my hand and she shook it. "I won't ask your reasons for volunteering. However, if I give you an order during this, shall we say, operation of ours, I expect you to follow it, especially in combat situation. Do you have any problem with that?"

"None." she responded flatly. "Just let me have a clear shot at those bastards for what they did to my grandfather, that's all I ask."

"Noted." I replied. Again, I saw her eyes move to BT. I turned slightly to look at the Titan. "He's impressive, isn't he?"

"It's not every day you find yourself staring at a twenty feet tall robot who managed to destroy a batarian raid with only its owner as backup." her gaze went back to me. "Did you build it yourself?"

I snorted. "If I had, I wouldn't be having so much trouble fixing him." I turned back to her. "I never got your name?"

"Emma. Emma Nightingale."

I couldn't help but stare blankly at her for a moment. I had started my journey back in Titanfall aboard the Nightingale and I was about to start another one in Mass Effect with someone who had the same name. Was this going to be a trend?

'Sure. Let's go with that.'

I ignored the voice in my head and nodded to the young woman. "Nice to meet you, Emma. I'm Ethan Wolfe and this is BT 7274, my Titan."

" _ **Greetings."**_

"Ah... Nice to meet you as well, Mr Wolfe, BT." she replied a tad nervously.

" _ **My apologies."**_ BT's optical monitor narrowed slightly. _**"I understand that my appearance can be... intimidating to civilians."**_

"Well, it's not so much intimidating as it is imposing. Security mechs, even half as big as you, aren't something many people can afford, so they are rarely brought out for display." Emma replied. "And the only time I heard one was actually activated was as a security measure to protect a VIP against a terrorist attack, the attackers were pretty much reduced to bloody smears on the walls and floor... even after they had surrendered "

I whistled lowly. "Yeah, I can see why that would spook a lot of people. But don't worry," I pointed my thumb at the Titan, "This guy has clear protocols to follow and won't ever go on a mindless rampage. Of that you have my word."

" _ **I can speak for myself, Ethan."**_ BT interjected

"True, but who's gonna prove you're not lying?" I shot back

" _ **I was not designed to lie."**_

"What if that was just another protocol of your coding?"

" _ **You know that is not the case."**_

"I'm not the one who designed you! I don't know much about your programming besides the basics!"

" _ **It is all written in the instruction manual. Should I read it for you?"**_

"The instruc- wait, there was a manual this WHOLE TIME?!" I snapped my head to face BT's optical monitor, "Why am I learning that only now?! And where is it?!"

*Snrk..!*

" _ **I assumed that you knew. And it is stored in my database."**_

"Yeah? And how would I know about it?! I didn't even get to the theory part of Titan piloting before all the stuff happened! "

*Krrr!*

" _ **It is not within my protocols to advise a pilot that he should read the instruction manual as all Pilots are instructed to read it before linking with a Titan."**_

"Oh, you have got to be kidding-"

"Pffffff-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I was interrupted by a Emma bursting into laughter as she held her sides, trying not to fall over. I could only blink as the young woman continued to let out a full blow belly laugh that didn't show any sign of stopping anytime soon.

I turned back to BT, "This is all your fault."

The optical monitor blinked. _**"Incorrect. My calculations indicate that you are, at minimum, 50% responsible."**_

"Oh, that's just _rich_!"

Emma's laughter redoubled and I couldn't help but chuckle behind my helmet.

And that was how I found myself with my ship pilot for our first venture in the traverse and my first new companion in this universe. Not that I knew at the time.

Although I knew what was going to happen in a few years, I had a feeling that BT and I were going to be just fine, if very busy.

The Galaxy and the Reapers wouldn't know what hit them.

 **First off, my apologies for not updating this sooner. I got myself a full time job a bit over 6 months ago that made me move from France to Portugal and stuff happened that made me just unable to find the time to sit down and focus on writing.**

 **So, this chapter is quite evidently a filler compared to the two action packed previous ones, but don't worry, you'll see some action again in the next one... which shouldn't arrive in more than 6 months, I hope.**

 **Anyway, don't hesitate to leave any suggestion, critic or opinion on this. I'm open to everything.**

 **PS: My other stories will be updated soon too, for those who are interested and/or still following those.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, here it is: the long awaited 4** **th** **chapter of Effect of a Titanfall.**

 **I've honestly been surprised by the support this story has been getting. So here's a huge thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, following, favoriting, ect.**

 **Quick note: I have edited the previous 3 chapters to fix a few typos and mistakes along with removing the 'Luck-o-meter' thing (which, in hindsight, was a pretty stupid idea).**

 **Now, enjoy.**

* * *

"Alright, push it now! Steady...! Steady!"

So.

*CLANK* "Dammit!"

It appeared that I had forgotten accounting for a certain factor when I drafted my brilliant plan of using the ship we had hijacked to get to the pirates' home base.

"Are you serious...? Is this actually happening?"

What might that have been, you ask? I'll give you two words: BT's size.

"This is getting us nowhere." I sighed as I watched a team of technicians trying to move BT's chasis into the cargo bay of the ship. Something they were was failing quite spectacularly at. "Isn't there a way to attach a container to the ship or something?" I asked Hektor, who was silently chuckling beside me.

The man chuckled, blue eyes crinkling with mirth. "Unless you want to lose your mech inside the Relay's transit, no there isn't."

"Lady Luck preserves me." I muttered as I raised my head to the heavens, trying to ignore the giggling in my mind. "Screw it. Guys! This isn't going to work. Just- ugh, just leave it." I told the men, who reluctantly stopped and pulled back the lifting platform they'd been using to try and push the Titan inside the ship. "Looks like you're going to have to sit this one out, BT." I said as my friend rose from the platform and stepped aside.

" _ **Acknowledged. How should we proceed?"**_

I racked my brain for a moment before turning to Emma, who was watching the scene unfold with us. "You have the coordinates to our target. How long do you think a trip back and forth, plus a few hours on site, might take? Keep in mind that the back trip will be done with a carrier ship."

She adopted a thoughtful expression. "Our target is hiding inside an asteroid belt on the edge of the Mil system in Sigurd's Cradle. Factoring the fact that a carrier moves slower than this scouting ship and that the initial trip from here to Sigurd's Cradle will take about twelve hours, I'd say around thirty-six hours in total."

I winced. We still had no real ETA for when the Alliance would arrive but I know it would be in less than twenty-four hours for sure. And I had no illusions that the populace would keep quiet as to how exactly the batarians had been defeated.

"If I may, I have a suggestion." Hektor said and I gestured him to go on. "We could put the chasis into a container until your return. The location of it would be kept from everyone else but you and I, of course, and the crew would be sworn to secrecy."

"And how would you explain my presence to the Alliance?"

"Easily: you are a freelance mercenary who stopped by to resupply and stumbled upon the aftermath of the raid. We have asked you to rescue the men and women who were taken by the batarians who managed to escape this mysterious mech and its pilot, who left immediately after the battle was over. Once you come back from your successful endeavor, with a brand new carrier ship in tow as to accommodate for the people you rescued and the loot you found, the supplies would then be given to you as a reward in, say, a certain container as to facilitate transport." he finished. "How does that sound?"

I could only stare him with my mouth moving soundlessly -not that he could see it, but still. "I don't think I could have cooked up a better tale myself, Hektor. Let's just hope that the Alliance will accept it once they arrive." I turned back to Emma. "Are the supplies loaded and the others ready to go?"

The blond gave a sharp nod. "Yes sir."

"Then tell them to embark, I'll join you shortly." I told her before looking at BT. "Will our communications be able to hold, even with close to twenty-five light years of distance?"

The Titan's optical monitor blinked. _**"Calculating. Affirmative, communications should hold, albeit with a slight delay of 1.67 seconds."**_

I nodded. Good. Then again it wasn't exactly a surprise given that BT had managed to maintain communication even when I was using the time shift device back on Typhon. "Alright then. Hektor, I leave the matter of relocating BT and the container to you. I'll see you both in a couple of days."

Hektor gave a solemn nod. "Good hunting, Mr Wolfe. We'll be waiting for you."

" _ **Good luck, Ethan."**_

In short order, I embarked the batarian ship and Emma quickly lifted us off the ground and into space.

Fact is, Cyrene was quite isolated. From what I had gathered from Hektor, the project was to make the colony a transit station between the Titan Nebula and the rest of the Terminus Systems. Something to invite explorers and miners to explore the systems of the Nebula without fear of having to go back to Omega in order to resupply, since the Titan Nebula Relay only linked to the one of the Omega Nebula. The isolation which would make their economic prosperity would also make them a prime target for the Collectors in the future, just like many others.

Even more worrying was how the Collectors had managed to travel all the way from the Omega Nebula to the Shadow Sea in order to attack Horizon (a colony that was _literally_ on the frontier between the Traverse and Alliance space) without raising any red flags and avoiding patrols. It meant they could travel anywhere and being very discreet about it. Something to consider for the future.

A few minutes of watching the stars fly by, I stepped away from the cockpit's window with a small sigh. "Tell everyone to meet me in the cargo hold, if you would."

"Going to train the recruits?" Emma asked from her seat.

I huffed behind my helmet. "They'll need all the help they can get if they are to stay alive until this is over. I would have done this alone, if possible, but with hostages in the equation that won't be the case."

She gave me an uncomfortable look. "...Are you expecting casualties?"

"From our side? One or two in the worst case scenario. Unless I separate myself from the group for too long, this shouldn't happen. In the prisoners' case? It will be a miracle if none of them die." I honestly replied. "It will really depend on how much of them there are and where they are located. If we can get to the holding cells fast enough, and with little opposition, then yes we should be able to minimize the risks. But otherwise..." I trailed off and she nodded grimly before turning back to the console.

In battle, you always have to consider both the best and worst case scenarios along with everything in between if you want to have a chance at victory. And even then, no plan survives contact with the enemy. While I hadn't been officially been inducted into the Marauder Corps, never mind the Special Recon Squad of which Lastimosa had been part of, I knew their Modus Operanti very well. After all, it was the one on which BT's protocols had been based:

1: Link up with your unit.

2: Uphold the mission.

3: Ensure your unit's survival at all costs.

Rarely had there ever been any true plan to follow. We had a mission, an objective, and how we accomplished or reached it was up to us. Plans were for when you had the time to prepare, something the IMC had rarely allowed the Militia. Most of our victories had been because of how devastating and fast we could make a counter-attack, not how meticulously it had been done.

Here, it was more or less the same. Success would depend on how much chaos we'd be able to sow in the pirates and how fast we could secure the main objectives before they could re-organize themselves. We had no information on the base itself aside from its location and its resources, which made this operation all the more complicated.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I entered the cargo hold and approached the eight men and four women who had decided to join me in this endeavor. Their chatter quickly

"I won't ask why you're here. You all have your own reasons and they are none of my business." I told them bluntly. "I'm not a leader, and you are not soldiers under my command. However, if we're going to do this the right way, I need to know that if I give you an order, you'll follow it immediately. Can you do that?"

They traded looks between them, some looking a bit nervous, others resolved. "Do we know how much opposition we can expect?" one man with copper hair and a beard asked.

"Sadly, we don't." I replied. "However, we can safely assume that they left only a skeleton crew to man the base and watch over the prisoners they already have. Just the same, we do not know if they have implanted the control chip into these people yet. But if you see someone with a slave collar, knock them out first. It will prevent the batarians from forcing them to fight us or kill themselves."

"What about security turrets and the likes?" another asked

"Leave that to me." I said. One thrust of my data knife into one of the thing's port and the IFF would rewritten to consider its former owners enemies. "I've also asked for a medic to join us, who would that be?"

A woman that looked about fifty years old with curvy raven black hair reaching up to her shoulder blades raised a hand. "I do not have much experience treating battle wounds, but I shall do my best."

"Your priority, unless one of us is to suffer severe injuries, will be to treat the prisoners once the battle is over. Expect broken bones and bruises, at the very least." I told her. "Now, who here has experience in holding and shooting a gun?"

Five of the men raised their arms while only one woman did.

"How many of you had experience prior to the raid?"

Only one man kept his arm up this time.

"Alright. You." I pointed at the man in question. "You're in charge of teaching those who haven't ever held a gun how to do so properly. The rest of you, with me." I gestured as I moved to the far end of the cargo hold.

"Now, you five already had a taste of how it is to shoot. Now, you're going to learn how to aim properly. Weapons at the ready!" I instructed and watched as they raised the batarian rifles in classic, if messy, shooting stances. I'd have correct that quickly, if I was to hope they'd be able to hit their target. "Contrarily to what most people would think, just putting your eye to the sight and aiming before firing isn't enough. What you want to do is make sure your aim is stable so that your shots don't fly around instead of hitting the target. In order to do that..."

And so, for the next three hours, I trained these men and women as best as I could in order to make sure they could survive in the first thirty seconds of a firefight, putting them through the basics of my rifleman drills and squad tactics training. They wouldn't become soldiers overnight, but it would make them go up from complete amateurs.

"That's all for now. Grab a bit and get some rest, everyone." I said after one last exercise involving how to cover your allies when pushing the enemy, making all of them slump in relief. "Good work, all of you."

And I meant it. While there was only so much I could do in such a short amount of time, it should be enough to make them hold their own against the rest of the pirates. Sure, the batarians had probably more experience but most of it was probably gained from raiding colonies with little to no defenses. If put in a defensive position, they should be at a disadvantage. Moreover, I knew from my own experience that most mercenaries have no sense of unity or teamwork, making them easy prey for even a slightly cohesive unit.

Well, unless said mercenaries were part of the Apex Predators, but those were the exceptions to the rule.

Still, I had high hopes that we would be able to accomplish our objective without much trouble.

Rolling my shoulders, I made my way to the common room inside the ship, intend on grabbing a couple of MRE before setting for my next task. "If anyone needs me, I'll be performing some maintenance on our weapons." I told the exhausted dozen people as I walked away. We still had more than eight hours of travel, and I had nothing better to do than to familiarize myself with how weapons from a different universe worked.

Most of the assault rifles and shotguns we had taken from the raiders were from the Terminator and Executioner lines respectively, except for the odd Banshee and Hurricane thrown in the mix. I'd quite forgotten how many different weapons manufacturers there had been prior to ME2. Although the designs didn't vary much, it was all about the difference in specs. I could only guess that the implementation of detachable heat sinks, aka thermal clips, had caused several of the manufacturers who couldn't adapt quickly enough to go out of business.

'Although,' I mused as I slowly and methodically dismantled a Terminator assault rifle. 'the fact that the use of thermal clips will be implemented to deal with kinetic barriers quicker seems like a serious downgrade to me. At that point, the Alliance might be better off going back to using lead bullets for greater mass, armor penetration and stopping power, since the thermal clips are basically just a fancy term for ammunition.'

Once the rifle had been completely dismantled, I checked each part individually. Somewhat unexpectedly, most of them were in good condition, which meant that either its previous owner had been relatively adept at taking care of his own weapon or someone among the batarians was in charge of performing maintenance on their weapons. I suspected the latter.

On Typhon, maintaining my weapons hadn't exactly been an issue as I often had to change the ones in my possession for those I'd find on dead enemies due to lack of ammunition. But, just like every rifleman, I had been trained in maintenance. The Militia's resources had been, at times, stretched thin to the point where having a spare rifle was a luxury, which meant making sure your weapon didn't give out on you during the mission had quickly become a necessity.

Reassembling the rifle, I put it away and took another one from the pile, repeating the process. The next few hours were spent in silence, with only the metallic sounds of me disassembling and reassembling the weapons filling the room.

"Mr. Wolfe?"

A voice made me raise my head from my task just as I finished reassembling the last shotgun. In the doorway stood the medic woman, looking hesitantly at me.

"Yes Ms...?"

"Vernay. Jessica Vernay." She replied. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

I looked at her before putting aside the reassembled gun and leaned back in my seat. "Ask away, Jessica. Although, keep in mind that I reserve the right to answer or not."

With a nod, she sat down in front of me, her ruby colored irises staring into my helmet. "Why are you doing this?" she asked after a moment. "I know the others are mostly motivated by revenge or rightful anger, but what could make a soldier such as yourself to agree to this?"

"To put it simply, I am finding myself in need of resources." I told her. "Beyond doing what is right and making sure these pirates can never plague the galaxy, this is also an opportunity for me to acquire a not so insignificant amount of capital that I will sorely need for the future."

"So you're doing this for money?" She asked with a frown.

"No." I refuted. "If I was in this only for the money, I would have asked for a reward from Hektor -Mr. Salvail- the moment the raid was over. As it is, I'm trying to stay under the radar of the influential people of the galaxy until I'm ready."

"Ready for what?"

"That, I will not tell you. I'll only say I intend to create an organization for my own purposes and this operation is the first step toward that goal."

"Do you wish to create a mercenary group then?"

I snorted. "Please, I'm not so stupid as to imagine any group I could create would be able to compete with the already existing ones." The Blood Pack, Eclipse and Blue Suns would quickly eat up any newcomer in their territory. "But even now this is only a project. Who knows how long it might take and how successful it might be."

I only had the bare bones of a plan at the moment. BT would help me refine it in time, of course, but I had to start somewhere.

"Anything else?" I asked Jessica, who seemed lost in thoughts.

"Just one." She paused, narrowing her eyes at me. "Are you a deserter running away from the Alliance?"

I blinked behind my helmet as the question registered in my mind and I couldn't help the short burst of laughter that escaped me. The woman scowled and raised my hands in a placating manner as I calmed myself.

"While you couldn't be any farther from the truth, I might as well be." I answered, my shoulders shaking with mirth. "I'm an unknown human with obvious military training in possession of a combat suit of unknown design and a mech the likes of which have never been seen before. If that doesn't make the Alliance raise red flags everywhere in order to find me, I'll eat my boots."

Which also meant Cerberus would also be on my trail faster than I would've liked. But I was confident we would be able to cover our tracks for a while.

"If that is all, there are still…" I checked the time. "Almost five hours left before we arrive into the Mil System. As we'll have one more training session in half an hour, can I ask you to rouse the others?" I said as I rose from my seat and collected the weapons in the crate I had used to carry them in the first place before walking past Jessica, whom I heard move a couple of seconds after me.

As promised, I spent another one and a half hour drilling the basics of combat into the dozen people on the ship. Once I was satisfied with them, I sent them away to grab a bite and take a couple hours of sleep to make sure they'd be in top condition before the assault began.

As for myself, unable to sleep, I decided to join Emma back in the cockpit, engaging in quiet conversation with her. I learned that her parents had died in a ship accident when she had been very young, which had placed her in the custody of her only alive relative: her grandfather. The man, whose name was Frederick Nightingale, had only just retired from his service as an Alliance pilot and was watching over his infant granddaughter when tragedy struck. From that day on, it had only been Emma and her grandfather, the man taking another job in order to support her education. As the years went by, he had taught her many things, even passing down to her everything he knew about piloting.

"He didn't want me to die the same way my parents did." Was her answer when I asked her why he had done so. "That, and it was his passion. Something that I also inherited from him."

In return, I told her about my own late mentor, Taï Lastimosa, who had been the one to teach me what it meant to be a Titan pilot, while carefully omitting anything that would reveal too much. I told her he had been the one to take me under his wing after I'd lost my whole squad, leading up to the point where I officially became his apprentice.

"He's the one who left me my suit and BT when he died." I said lowly. "They were his, originally, but we had no other option."

"You respected him a lot." Emma stated.

I nodded and we relapsed into silence. The only other person person that I had respected above Lastimosa, aside from my own family, had been Sarah Briggs, the general of the Militia and the Marauder Corps. The woman had charisma and a no-nonsense attitude that just made you straighten your spine in her presence. That, and she cared for her soldiers, which was more than you could say for most military officers out there.

It also made me wonder what kind of person Shepard would be.

"Hey look, here it is: Sigurd's Relay." Emma said, bringing me out of my musing, and I inched closer to the port side window to gaze for the first time at the gigantic transit device.

The first thing I noticed was, of course, its massive blue glowing core made of Element Zero at the center of a set of five revolving rings. Those same rings were surrounded by two long curved arms made of a metallic material that gave the Relay, in my opinion, an appearance not unlike that of gun's barrel.

Then again, seeing that a Relay was used to propel ships across the galaxy like a bullet out of a gun , I might've been onto something.

"We'll be reaching the Mil system in about one hour, and the asteroid belt in one hour and twenty minutes." Emma announced and I blinked in surprised behind my helmet. Had we been talking that long?

"I'll go wake the others up, then." I said before standing up and making my way back to the cargo hold, where cots had been set for everyone to sleep and rest on.

In short order, I had all twelve of them up and gearing up for the assault.

It was time.

* * *

Prark Denpaba was starting to get frustrated. Fezis and the others should have been back by now. Although he knew his superior had a tendency to indulge his urges instead of simply grabbing the loot and flying away, this was a bit too much, even for him.

Had the intel been incorrect, then? Could the humans have better defenses than what they had been told about? No, the Hegemony had assured them this wasn't the case and they had carefully monitored that colony before giving the order.

Maybe they had encountered some kind of complication on the way? Perhaps a mercenary ship or another crew of pirates? Possible, but the probability was low since the Titan Nebula was more or less unexplored space as it was.

With a sigh, Park rubbed the space between his four eyes in an effort to calm himself down. It's nothing, he tried to tell himself, just Fezis who might have lost track of time without anyone having to remind him.

And yet, the hours passed and still no sign of his fellow Batarian. The comms were silent, as was the radar, and the stress was starting to get to Prark. He was close, oh so close, to go vent his tension and frustration on one of the prisoners but he held himself back. Damaged merchandise didn't sell well, after all.

"Sir! We've got a friendly inbound!"

Finally!

"Put it on screen, now!" Prark barked, all but running to the man who had alerted him.

"Patching it through."

A few button presses and the display of the camera surveillance inside the base switched to that of the cameras outside. And there, on the screen-

"Only one...?" Prark muttered in confusion. "Raise them!" he ordered. He needed to know what was going on!

With a nod, the other Batarian -Darok, he remembered- pressed a few other buttons and waited a few moments before turning to his superior. "They aren't responding, sir. The transmission isn't even going through. Their comm system must be damaged."

Prark tensed a bit more. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. "Check for other signatures and signal them to land outside the docking bay."

"Scanning." Darok waited another beat. "Negative, only one ship, sir. Signaling approach vector."

Slowly, the ship gave an 'acknowledged' signal back and changed trajectories. Prark relaxed somewhat. Not a suicide ship then.

"I'm going to meet them at the landing pad. Keep radio contact." He said before marching out of the room without waiting for a reply. As he made his way, he encountered a couple of other minions he couldn't bother remember the names of "You two, with me. Helmets on." he gestured and they quickly fell in step behind after exchanging glances. They arrived at the landing pad just in time to see the ship touch down.

"Doesn't look damaged. Think it had a malfunction?"

"Nah, they'd have come back sooner otherwise. What do you think, Prark ?"

"I think you two need to shut up. We'll have our answers soon enough." He snapped at the two before turning his attention back to the ship. After several moments of the waiting, the doors finally started to open and Prark marched toward it expectantly.

Only to be met with the barrel of a Terminator shotgun.

Slowly, Prark's four eyes followed the gun's barrel to the hands that held it, then up the arms and all the way to the owner of said arms' strange helmet which had a glowing blue visor.

"...Wha-"

The shotgun's muzzle flashed and Prark knew no more.

* * *

Bathythia Caliix's eyes snapped open as the blaring alarm sound registered to her senses. Switfly, the Asari rose from the ground, internally wincing at the pain in her back, and moved to the security grid that separated the room she and her fellow prisoners were kept in from the rest of this awful place.

Discretely, she looked to either side of the corridor, not seeing the Batarians guards that were usually posted at the entrance of their cell.

"Mother, what's going on?"

Bathythia turned to look at another Asari that was slowly sitting up from the ground, rubbing her temples. This was her maiden daughter, Nis'sa. "I am unsure, Nis'sa. Our guards are gone and this alarm is something that has never happened before." she replied.

"Spirits! Could someone have finally come to rescue us?!" a Turian -Tiruns, she identified from his facial markings- exclaimed.

"Unlikely." Aerarth, a female Salarian with light purple skin, scoffed. "Who would ever come and rescue us in the Terminus Systems? No, if anything this is a raid by other pirates or mercenaries, neither of which bodes well for us."

A distant rumble, most likely caused by an explosion, followed her words.

"Nevertheless." Bathythia interjected before any argument could begin. "This might be our best chance at freedom. Faan, is it ready?"

Faan'Tiss, a Quarian engineer who had been there long before any of them, activated his hidden omni-tool. "Technically, yes. But without any tests, I am unsure how effective it will be or how long it will last." he drawled.

"It will have to do. What about the biotic dampeners?"

"Now _that one_ ," he fiddled a bit with the orange holographic device before waving his hand and several bracers clicked open before falling to the ground "has been ready for quite a while."

Bathythia let out a short sigh of relief, as did her daughter along the other Asaris and biotics, as the connection to the powers she'd had since her birth was reestablished for the first time in weeks. Then, her face hardened and a corona of biotic energy flashed into existence around her as she turned toward the security grid of their cell. Slowly, she raised her right arm and threw it forward.

A pulse of biotic power slammed against the grid and the doorway exploded as a result from the powerful Shockwave she has just unleashed.

"Let us go." she simply said as she stalked forward and her fellow prisoners cheered before following her.

* * *

It was time she reminded those four-eyed scums that you did NOT fuck with a Matriarch. Especially an ex-commando.

"Stay in formation, eyes forward and watch your flanks!" I barked as I dropped a scrambling Batarian with a single trigger pull of my borrowed Hurricane shotgun.

'So far, so good.' I thought as we continued our advance deeper inside the base. 'No serious injuries and little resistance met. Either we took them completely by surprise and the lack of leadership threw them into disarray or they're currently regrouping somewhere else.'

Aside from a few stragglers here and there, the base seemed for the most part empty. Each room we had checked had been empty. Then again, the alarm that was still blaring overhead probably had something to do with that.

"Turrets!" a shout snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned my gaze to the far end of the corridor. Four security turrets were sprouting from the walls and turning their targeting systems at us.

"Get behind me!" I shouted as I took the amp wall emitter off the small of my back and threw it in front of me. The orange wall of honey comb patterns sprang up just as the first rounds were fired, effectively protecting us from them.

Fifteen seconds.

"Whatever happens, do not move until I give the all clear." I told the others as I cloaked and darted forward.

Twelve seconds.

The thing about automated defenses, is that they're very predictable. Not once as I approached the first turret did their aim waver or did they detect me. Eight seconds. Jumping onto the farthest one, I ripped the plate hiding its control pannel and jammed my data knife into it. Five seconds. In just under three seconds, the rings signifying the hacking of it turned from orange to blue and all the turrets stopped firing.

Two seconds. I flicked my gaze to the Amped Wall, which disappeared exactly as the countdown in my head reached zero.

Just to be sure, I quickly set a grenade inside each turrets' gun barrel and detonated them as soon as I was out of the explosion radius. In an instant, all four had been reduced to scrap metal.

"Clear." I said as I picked up the A-Wall emitter and clipped it to my belt.

Everyone was just looking at me slack-jawed.

I smiled behind my helmet, feeling somewhat proud of myself, before I slipped back into mission mode and snapped my fingers, bringing them back to reality. "As much as I feel honored by your appreciation of my skills, we still have a job to do."

That instantly sobered them and, with a grim nod, we forged onward.

It was only as we entered another room a few minutes later, which seemed to be the security and comm center, that things took a turn for the worse.

Barricaded behind what little furniture the room had -a few chairs and a table- were four Batarians aiming weapons at us. But that was the least of our worries.

"Throw down your weapons, or we will kill them!"

In front of the Batarians, effectively being used as both meat-shields and hostages, were half a dozen prisoners -some humans, others not- with glazed eyes staring at nothing. Just the mere sight of it made me grit my teeth in anger. But the fact that one of them was clearly a child just made my blood boil.

For a moment, no one moved. The others behind me were clearly waiting for a clue from my part and I knew we would be gunned down the moment we lowered our weapons. I had only one chance to salvage this, and hoped it would work.

With deliberate slow movements, I transferred my shotgun to my left hand and held it away from me before letting it fall to the ground.

The moment I let go and saw the Batarians' eyes follow my weapon, I drew my smart pistol as fast as I could, giving the system a snap second to lock onto the aliens' faces, and fired.

But even that wasn't quick enough.

One of them clearly had been watching my movements more than my weapon. And in that instant where I leveled my pistol at them, he fired.

And instead of four, six bodies hit the floor.

With a curse, I immediately was at the side of the unlucky Turian prisoner who had suffered the brunt of the volley fired by the Batarian. But even as I looked at him, I could tell he was already dead. One of the rounds had punched through his body where I knew the heart of his species was, according to the biology articles I had read about Turians.

"Was that the best way to do it?"

With a sigh, I closed the eyes of the prisoner before turning to the man who had spoken. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But it was always a possibility that I prepared for. I didn't expect us to be able to save every other person on this base, but I hoped we'd be able to." I said before rising to my feet. "In the end, the rescue of those people is a secondary objective behind that of our own survival. You can't save people if you're dead."

That said, I turned to Jessica, who was administrating medigel onto the other wounded, a young human woman, while performing a scan on her with her omni-tool. "How is she?" I asked

"She'll live." the medic replied. "But beyond those wounds, I'm picking up fading bruises, cracked ribs, hematomas, as well as the lingering results of... sexual assault." she said in a clipped tone.

The reactions from the others varied from sadness and horror to rightful anger and grim acceptance. I had warned them of what we might encounter when it came to the prisoners but, as they say, seeing is believing.

I didn't know how the Batarian government had managed to include slavery in their culutral heritage in a space faring age, nor did I have any interest in learning it. Most likely, it was a caste system dating from the ages where Batarians had been limited to their homeworld and that had had somehow managed to persist to this day.

"Do what you can. However, be mindful that there will most likely be others to help and treat." I told Jessica before I moved to the other prisoners, who were still staring into nothing.

'Now, how do I snap them out of it?' I wondered. Information on the way the control chip worked had been scarce. It was a secret that was closely garded by the Hegemony, for obvious reasons, and what BT had managed to find could be more or less resumed in two sentences.

One : The chip granted total control of its victim to whomever owned him or her.

Two : Trying to extract the chip without having 'access' could result in devastating consequences.

"Probably some kind of signal..." I muttered before snapping my fingers loudly. Which, no surprise, didn't have any effect. Now I kinda wished I had left one of the Batarians alive, if only to get the knowledge out of him.

I shook my head. 'Something to look into later. Focus on the mission.'

"Alright everyone, I want four of you to stay here and watch over them." I gestured to the prisoners before moving to the room's console. " While the others guard the door. Also, can someone help me display every camera feed inside the base?"

In short order, I had a visual of every available feed from the cameras. This revealed that most of the Batarians had holed themselves into the mess hall, which they had barricaded with tables and benches, making it easier to defend. There were also several prisoners standing in a semi-circle and acting as unwilling meat-shields.

However, other camera feeds weren't available, indicating that they had been destroyed. A quick look at the base's map showed that those were mainly around the wing where the prisoners cells were located. Bringing up recent footage from those cameras confirmed what I had thought : The prisoners were mounting an escape.

On one hand, it made things easier for us as the Batarians had to fight on two fronts. On the other, this could quickly turn into a three-way fight, something that I wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Is there a way to put me on speaker for the entire base, save the mess hall and its adjacent corridors, to hear?" I asked, not looking away from the camera feeds.

A quick confirmation was followed by a few button presses and I was live on radio.

"To all ex-prisoners, this is Ethan Wolfe, in charge of the assault on the base you are currently inside, speaking. Your former jailers have gathered in the mess hall and have barricaded themselves inside it. I would advise assaulting it as things stand. Instead, I would like to direct you to the security room, where you will meet up with myself and those accompanying me. Once this matter has been resolved, I will see that you are returned to your homes and families. This I swear on my honor as a soldier."

I took a breath as I stepped back and turned my gaze to the monitor feeds again, carefully watching each feed for any sign of any Batarian while keeping an eye on the feed from the mess hall. It was a gamble on my part, as I had no way to predict what the reactions would be on both other parties.

'And now, we wait.'

* * *

Bathythia frowned thoughtfully as the message from the speaker system ended. While she could certainly trust that this did not come from the Batarians themselves, she did doubt the truth behind the words it contained.

"What do you think, Mother?" her daughter asked and she turned to look at her and the others standing behind her, who were muttering among themselves.

While their initial push had given them enough energy, thanks to the adrenaline in their system, to take control of the armory, followed by the med-bay in which they currently were in, it hadn't been without casualties on their side. Weeks with little food and water had quickly made them stop using biotics to avoid exhaustion, and without enough shield generators...

"I don't recognize the name, and I've lived long enough in the Terminus systems that I know most of the mercenaries who managed to make a name for themselves in this part of the galaxy." Tiruns spoke.

"He did swear on his honor as a soldier though, doesn't that count for something?" Nis'sa replied.

Aerarth scoffed. "Girl, honor means nothing in situations like these. It's just a fancy word."

"I say we make a break for one of the ships in the docking bay." Faan chimed in.

Bathythia brought a hand up, effectively silencing the room. "Arguing about it doesn't change our situation. Beside, this other group has most likely already secured the docking bay to make sure no one could escape. As things stand, we either continue to fight our way to freedom, in which case many of us will probably die, or we take a chance and see if we can hold this man to his word. Worst case scenario..." her biotics flared briefly. "We fight anyway."

Silence filled the med-bay for a moment before a middle-aged Human man with cropped blonde hair huffed something between a laugh and a sigh. "Screw it, anything's better than those four eyed bastards at this point." he said as he rose from his seating position against a wall and brought up his rifle. "And I don't know about you folks, but I ain't ready to give up after we've come so far."

"Well said." a female Turian with a bronze skin tone said, her mandibles flaring, before turning to Bathythia. "And if we must die, then say we do so with weapon in hand and taking as many of them as we can with us."

The matriarch looked around the room and smiled slightly at the looks of reolve on the faces of her fellow would-be escapees. It made her feel somewhat nostalgic of her commando years.

With a simple nod from her, they walked out of the medbay.

The walk through the base's corridors was brisk and tense, the silence only filled by the sound of their steps and breathing. The more they neared the security room, the more their hands clenched on their weapons.

However, as they entered the last corridor between them and their objective. Bathythia froze at what she saw was waiting for them by the doorway of the room.

His build identified the individual as male, and the five fingered hands with light skin color as a human, but beyond that Bathythia couldn't discern much from him aside that he had obvious military training. He wore a chest armor the likes of which she had never seen before, with a deep red undersuit beneath it along with some kind of harness. But the most catching feature was, without a doubt, the figure's helmet. It was of a gray-ish green color, with some kind of design she couldn't exactly see painted on the left side of it and a glowing blue visor that seemed to bore into her.

"Well met." The man spoke, and Bathythia instantly recognized his voice as the one who had spoken earlier through the speaker system. "I am Ethan Wolfe. Might I know who speaks for your group?" he asked, his posture lax but ready for anything.

The ex-commando stepped forward. "I am Matriarch Bathythia and I speak for us. Well met, Ethan Wolfe."

The man's visor turned slightly to her and he tilted his head a bit, as if in confusion. "...You're telling me those four-eyed fuckers managed to catch an Asari Matriarch without having being flayed alive? I find that a bit hard to believe." Bathythia's form bristled in anger and shame as he paused. "Then again, such a daring escape wouldn't have been easy to pull off without a proper plan."

"Who are you, exactly?" Tiruns interjected.

There was a light chuckle from the man. "Just a soldier trying to find his place in the galaxy." he replied before turning away and gesturing for them to follow him. "Now come. There are still Batarians that need to be dealt with."

Bathythia exhaled, letting go of the anger the man's words had stirred within her. Not a day had passed since her captivity that she hadn't wondered how she could have changed how things had happened.

But no matter how she turned it in her head, there had simply been two choices : either her daughter's life would have been forfeit or she let them the Batarians capture her as well. She had thought them to be simple pirates and that they would ask for a ransom from the Republics. But only when she had learned that more than just pirates, they were slavers, had she realized the gravity of her mistake. Death would always be preferable to an eternity of torment and servitude. It was something all Asari maidens willing to venture outside of Council and the Republics' Space were taught once past their first century.

Bathythia had been prepared to end her daughter's life along with her own if their escape plan failed.

'Thankfully, it seems that I won't need to resort to this.' She mused as she followed the man inside the security room.

There were almost twenty people inside. Five of them, she recognized as fellow prisoners by their attire and the way they just... stood there, staring at nothing. She also noted the body of another, laid aside and covered with a jacket, along with the four Batarian corpses pilled at the other end of the room. As for the others, they were all human wearing simple space suits and basic armor.

However, what stood out to her the most was the way they carried themselves. Surely she was imagining things. They couldn't be-

"Are you all civilians?" Someone behind her blurted out, voicing her thoughts.

"If by that you mean they are volunteers who decided to risk their lives to get revenge on these bastards and help you, then yes, they are civilians." Wolfe corrected. "But we do not have the time to argue about this. First, does any of you know how to break them out of this state?" he gestured to the immobile prisoners.

Faan'Tis stepped forward. "I've managed to create a program that scrambles the signal of the control chips. So far, it's been working with... various degrees of success, depending on the individual." the Quarian explained.

Which was true. While most of them had been able to ignore the batarians' orders, there had been some who hadn't been so lucky. Commands such as 'kill yourselves' had made a few victims before anyone could stop those influenced.

Was it due to how recently the chip had been implented? Or perhaps how strong willed the individual was? Questions that would probably remain unanswered.

"That's still impressive, nonetheless." the human praised. "It must have taken a great deal of time to create, however. How long have you been held here?"

Faan'Tis's shoulder slumped somewhat. "I didn't bother counting after a standard year. I was too... valuable to this place as a whole to be shipped away like others."

"And yet, you still held onto the hope that one day you'd be able to escape. Otherwise, you wouldn't have created this program. I think that speaks for itself." Wolfe said. "It's better to fight in any way you can than simply give up. Now," he turned to the others. "I want to know who amongst you still feel strong enough to fight. It's time that we end this."

Bathythia, along with her fellow prisoners, nodded. She was more than ready for this day to end.

* * *

As I examined the various people who had entered the room, about forty of them, I couldn't help but feel it had been a miracle that they suffered little casualties during their breakout. Most of them were showing early to old signs of malnutrition and physical -also, in some cases, sexual- assault.

It was a small mercy that the children among them, six in total, had been spared from the worse of it. They would probably be traumatised by the experience and, from what I could see, only two of them had a parent which had been captured with them.

With an internal sigh, I shifted my attention to those who still felt well enough to fight alongside the others and I, more specifically the supposed Asari Matriarch, who seemed to be the de-facto leader for the group.

She was one of the few who had any kind of military training, from what I could see, and she certainly seemed more composed than the other Asaris but other than that I had no way of telling if she truly was a Matriarch.

"BT." I spoke, cutting the helmet speaker. "Can you please search for a 'Matriarch Bathythia'?"

" _ **Acknowledged. Searching, please stand by."**_ came the response after a couple of seconds. Half a minute later, the Titan spoke again. _**"Records found. Matriarch Bathythia Caliix and her daughter Nis'sa Caliix have been reported missing by the Asari Republics one standard month, two weeks and five days ago. Their last known location was around the Crescent Nebula, after which all communications were lost."**_

'So she seems to be telling the truth.' I mused as I looked at her from my peripheral vision. 'I wonder what it will mean for me in the future. I hoped to avoid notice from the greater powers of the galaxy but if she's Matriarch with even a bit of political power, this could either be very good or very bad.'

I cast away those thoughts and focused back on the present. I could worry about that later.

"Alright everyone, gather around." I said as I gestured them closer. "I think it's high time that we finish this."

And so we planned

We already knew that the Batarians were holed up inside the mess hall with a dozen or so hostages. While this might have seemed like a smart move, as only a few of us could come in at the same time, those idiots, rather than trying to ambush us in the corridors, had effectively trapped themselves.

If we'd had sleep gas canisters, this would have been already over. However, we did not, so I had to improvise.

With the help of the Quarian engineer Fan'Tiss, it didn't take much time to get a complete blueprint of the base, including several things that didn't appear in the base design available in the database... in particular several air ducts leading right above the ceiling of the mess hall.

And once we were in position, the bastards didn't even hear or see us coming.

Fist the lights went out, courtesy of our Quarian engineer, plunging the mess hall into obscurity. And before the Batarians could truly react, I dropped from an opening in the ceiling and threw a Pulse Blade into the ground. In an instant, I could see everything in the mess hall while my enemies were still blinded by the sudden darkness and fumbling to activate the flashlights on their weapons.

What followed was nothing short of a slaughter. I weaved between tables and Batarians like a shadow, my Cloaking ability masking the glow of my helmet while my data knife carved a bloody river as I went. From above, my allies released a hail of mass accelerated slugs on any Batarian that managed to turn on a flashlight or fired blindly. Before long, the last body had hit the ground, leaving the hall filed with naught but the drip-drop sound of blood falling to the ground and the moans of the dying pirates.

With a sigh, I cleaned the data knife as best as I could of leftover blood and sheated it. "Clear." I spoke into the comm. The lights came back and the others started coming down from the vents, giving me looks ranging from awed to slightly sick. I didn't need to look into a mirror to know that my suit probably looked like I had bathed in Batarian blood. I sent a regretfull look to the few hostages who'd been hit by unfortunate stray shots, one of them having killed an Asari by going straight through her head.

"We're done here." I said before making my way back to the security room. "Let's grab whatever looks useful or valuable and leave. This is no place for celebration."

The next few hours, I spent hoarding away whatever material resources the Batarians had kept into the carrier ship while Miss Vernier and Aerarth, who was in fact a Salarian medic, treated injuries and gave everyone food and drink. With the adrenaline rush gone and their stomach filled for the first time in weeks, if not months, most of the ex-prisoners save for a few had fallen into restful slumber, which I was loathe to wake them from, inside the crew quarters on the ship.

'Hopefully, the Alliance will be able to help these people.' I thought as I pushed one last crate of the mineral known as Palladium into the cargo hold. With a grunt, I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck from side to side before giving a quiet sigh of relief.

"Is that the last of them?" a feminine voice asked and I turned to see Emma walking into the cargo hold.

"Yeah, we're good to go." I replied. "Ready to blow this whole place to kingdom come?"

The blond gave me an eager grin. "You bet."

Fun fact about this base: the pirates had implemented a remote self-destruct sequence into it. In case of a prisoner outbreak getting out of control, the Batarians would have simply taken the ships off the station before blowing it up. I had linked the sequence to Emma's omni-tool upon finding it and she was more than agreeable to destroy the place.

"Then let's do this and go home." I told her, smiling back from behind my helmet.

Emma didn't waste any time and dashed back to the cockpit with an excited exclamation. As soon as she was gone, my gaze turned to other person in the cargo hold: Matriarch Bathythia. The Asari looked back at me with an indecipherable look from her position against the wall.

"Is there something you want?" I asked.

She blinked. "Part of me is filled with questions, but I doubt that you would answer them. You have my -our- gratitude for rescuing us and I do not wish to repay such a debt by becoming inquisitive." she replied, pushing herself off the wall. "But I must admit that you intrigue me. Solo mercenaries with skill such as yourself usually make quite a name for themselves. Yet, I do not recognize your name nor do I know of any manufacturer who could make such an intricate and unique suit. And I made my research long before coming to this Goddess forsaken Space."

I mulled over my options for a moment. "You could say I'm just starting in this field of work. I do not intend to remain a mercenary forever, but it will help my goals for now. I do not operate in Citadel Space because it would inevitably grab the attention of the Council, not to mention the Alliance, and other... unsavory parties." I replied. "Lastly, my secrets are my own and I do not wish to share them with you at this time."

"Secrets are something we Matriarchs know very well. You do not live as long as we do without learning, keeping and, sometimes, sharing these. But, as I said, I will respect your privacy and will not pry you for answers I have no right to." Her lips quirked a bit. "Although, bear in mind that I doubt your anonymity will last much longer."

"I am well aware of that. It just needs to last long enough for me to properly get started."

The fact that BT was still working on suppressing any leak onto the Extranet was telling. I probably had a few weeks to a couple of months (If I was optimistic) before anyone troublesome might come looking for me, and while going underground would be a good option, BT wasn't exactly easy to transport or hide.

"Whatever your goals are, they sound like something big and long term." Bathythia hummed. "And if there's one thing Asari are good at, it would be long term planning." She then turned to gaze fixedly at my helmet. "If I were to offer you my aid in your endeavor, would you accept?"

"...Pardon?"I couldn't contain the bafflement I was feeling out of my voice at the outrageous offer she had just made to me. "I get that you feel indebted to me, but what you're proposing is just absurd. You do not know me, you do not know my goals. Hell, for all you know, what I told you could be a lie!"

"As I said, you intruigue me. However, I would ask something of you in exchange."

'Ah. So that's what she was after. As expect of an Asari Matriarch.'

From what I remembered of the games, most of the Asari that were even slightly relevant were manipulative to a certain degree. From Sha'ira the Consort all the way to the Council of Matriarchs who sent Aethythia to keep an eye on Liara with Aria T'Loak in between, all of them had influence which they used in various ways to further their own ends, whatever they might be. This was no different.

'Still,' I reasoned, 'this might an opportunity that I cannot miss.'

"And that would entail... what, exactly?" I asked wearily.

She answered.

For a moment, my mind blanked. The sheer incredulity of what she'd just say overwhelming me. Then, I laughed. It was only a chuckle at first but soon it descended into the first full blown laughter I'd had in a long time.

"I do not see how you would find such a thing... hilarious." Bathythia commented dryly at my outburst.

"Apologies." I raised a placating hand, still chuckling. "Indeed, this is no laughing matter, but I was NOT expecting this." I coughed and straightened myself. "But if that is the condition for your aid, then I accept." I said as I extended a hand to her.

And with that simple handshake, the future of the Galaxy was changed drastically.

* * *

 **Hello ladies and gentlemen, MidnightFenrir here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if there is any feedback you'd like to provide, feel free to review!**

 **Baseless flaming shall be as always, ignored.**

 **I won't lie. The huge delay for this update has been mainly due to the fact that I got my new computer and bought Monster Hunter World. That game is, quite simply, addicting.**

 **Hopefully, next chapter won't take so long, but I'd like to work on my other stories too. But, like for all full time workers (I think), free time is a valuable resource that I never seem to have enough of.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, signing out.**


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